Spiral
by Tadariada
Summary: Harry's life has taken a pitfal since the third task and when the new DADA teacher tries to help him out life only gets worse. And Harry cant shake the feeling that he knows the new teacher from somewhere. Post GoF. R/R and enjoy!
1. Chapter One

A/N: Hello all! I'm back! Yay! Here's the one confusing bit. I was writing this story with an author, No Reply, but the other day it struck me that I had written the entire story by myself. So I took the story away and here it is now. With its rightful owner! Thanks for reading! Oh and from here on out anything mentioned about No Reply has been scratched, ignore it, she's not in this anymore. She never was. Thanks again!  
  
  
  
  
  
There was a hollow, loud whistle as a scarlet steam engine pulled away from the London Station. Hermione and Ron were looking out the window of the train, seeing if Harry was there. He hadn't shown up yet. Suddenly the door to the outside burst open and large duffel flew into the train. After that followed a backpack and then a person.   
  
The person had crazy brunette hair and was rather thin. He proved quite tall as he stood up off the ground and his eyes were half-mad and brighter shades of blue than even Dumbledore's sparkle. He gazed upon the teenagers with his riveting stare and a smile.  
  
"What never seen a teacher miss a train before?" He said. His voice was a deep baritone and had a lilting accent they didn't recognize.  
  
"You're the new DADA teacher?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Yes." The man said. "Have I introduced myself? No? Professor Gregory Krikor."   
  
"Hermione Granger."  
  
"Ron Weasley."  
  
"Nice to meet you." He said. "What year are you two in?"  
  
"Fifth." They chimed.  
  
"Are you two dating?"  
  
"NO!" They said loudly in unison. The Professor laughed.  
  
"Just friends then?"  
  
"Yeah." Ron said. "Our other best friend would be with us here to meet you but-"  
  
"We think he missed the train." Hermione finished. "His Aunt and Uncle are terrible to him."  
  
Ron and Hermione both looked out the window. Krikor seemed suddenly very interested.  
  
"He lives with his Aunt and Uncle?" He said. "Why?"  
  
"Because his parents are dead." Hermione snapped.   
  
"Oh." He looked like he wanted to ask a thousand more questions. "Well I hope you meet up with him."  
  
"C'mon Hermione, let's see if Harry's on the train." Ron said. "We'll see you later, professor."  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
"Excuse me dear. Would you like anything to eat?"   
  
Harry looked up from his book and shook his head no to the woman. She smiled and moved her cart down to the next person. Harry began reading again.  
  
'Thus die I, thus, thus, thus.  
Now I am dead, now I am fled  
My soul is in the sky.'  
  
Harry paused to ponder this concept. He had never quite grasped Shakespeare and he didn't think he ever would. Looking up again he saw Ron and Hermione enter. Quickly he hid in his book again.  
  
"The famous Harry Potter- reading Shakespeare?" Hermione said, spotting him. She broke out laughing. "That IS a new development."  
  
"Hi." Harry said.   
  
Hermione threw her arms around Harry and kissed his cheek.  
  
"Hello!" She said. "How was your summer?"  
  
Harry shrugged. "Yours?"  
  
"It was great. I saw Krum and…" She trailed off seeing the pinched look on Ron's face. "Harry let's go back to our compartment. It's not crowded like this one."  
  
Harry stood up and grabbed Hedwig and his trunk. Hermione met his eyes and he looked away from her. He had changed over the summer, Hermione noted.   
  
Yes, puberty had snuck up on Harry like a windshield sneaks up on a bug. Not only was he taller, his hair had flattened out slightly but it now looked something closer to normal. The awkward boy had been replaced with an oddly silent, handsome youth. Hermione slapped herself mentally. She would not stare at her BEST FRIEND in that manner!  
  
Harry sat down in the compartment.  
  
"I see you found him." Commented Professor Krikor.   
  
"Yeah." Hermione said. "Harry this is our new DADA teacher."  
  
Harry looked up skeptically. "Hi."  
  
"Gregory Krikor." The man stuck out a hand.  
  
"Harry Potter." The man paled. "And I've had bad experiences with DADA teachers."  
  
"Harry Potter?" He said in a high voice.  
  
"Yeah." Harry said. He brushed away his bangs. "Yes I have a scar, yes it hurts, no I'm not crazy and I do not cry myself to sleep at night because my parents are dead. Any other questions?"  
  
The professor gulped. "No not really. I wasn't really planning on asking you about that anyways."  
  
"Well I thought I'd clear it all up." Harry said. He opened his copy of A Midsummer Night's Dream and began trying to figure it out again.   
  
"Harry what is different about you?" Ron said.  
  
"I grew." Harry said, not looking up.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Yeah. I'm only seven inches smaller than you now." Harry said. Ron laughed.   
  
"Midget!" He said.  
  
Harry did not reply with his usual response of 'troll!' but just went back to his book. Hermione and Ron exchanged a shrug.  
  
"Professor?" Hermione asked. The man looked up.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Where are you from?" Hermione asked.   
  
"Why?"  
  
"You have an accent I can't put my finger on, that's all."  
  
"Oh." The Professor smiled. "I've been living in Greece for quite some time. The accent must have caught up with me."  
  
Harry snorted from behind his book.   
  
"Harry!" Hermione scolded. "Be nice!"  
  
"Oh it's fine." Assured the new professor. "I admire honest people. But now I think I'm going to go to the front of the train. Goodbye."  
  
"Bye."  
  
"Bye."  
  
A grunt from Harry and the man left.  
  
"Are you always going to be this mean?" Hermione demanded. "That poor man probably thinks you hate him now!"  
  
"I don't hate him. I don't trust him either." Harry said flatly.  
  
Hermione made a noise in her throat and sat down heavily. "Why?"  
  
"Have we ever had an innocent DADA teacher?" Harry asked. He got no answer. "No. We haven't. Why would we be getting one now?"  
  
"Well." Ron said. "That's one way of looking at it."  
  
Harry shrugged. The compartment door opened. It was Ginny and Neville.  
  
"Hey. We've looked everywhere, but we cant find- oh!" Ginny spotted Harry. "There you are!"  
  
Harry waved a little.   
  
"How was your summer, Harry?" Ginny said timidly.  
  
"It was fine."  
  
Ron stared. Harry hadnt been that NICE to them when the same question was asked. His eyes narrowed. "Ginny thanks for your help. Now why don't you and Neville leave so we can talk."  
  
"What?" Ginny said. She rounded on Ron. "You can't order me around!"  
  
"Watch me." Ron said, standing up. He grabbed her shoulders and led her to the door. "Out!"  
  
She scowled and left Neville after her.  
  
"What was that all about, Ron?" Hermione asked. "She was trying to be nice!"  
  
Ron glared at her and sat down again. "She's being nosy."   
  
"No she wasn't." Hermione said. "Do you think that she was being nosy, Harry?"  
  
Harry shrugged and continued to read.  
  
"Damn it!" Hermione screeched and grabbed the book out of his hand. "You are no fun when you read!"   
  
Ron laughed. "You are one to talk." He said. He nudged Harry and raised his eyebrows. "That was pretty good, huh?"  
  
"Oh yeah." Harry said and with his wand summoned the book out of Hermione's hands. "A real knee slapper." He opened the book again.   
  
Ron groaned and turned to Hermione.  
  
"What do you think of the new teacher?"  
  
"He seems nice. A little spacey."  
  
"Spacey?" Ron said. "How so?"  
  
"He missed the train." Hermione said.  
  
"Oh I suppose." Ron said. "I think he seems nice. Kinda looks like Harry."  
  
"He does not." Said Harry from behind the book.   
  
"Maybe it's your dad, Harry." Ron joked.   
  
Harry looked up sharply at Ron, who paled. "Shut the hell up Ron."  
  
"I'm sorry- I was only joking." Ron said quickly.  
  
"Well it wasn't funny."  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
There was a knock on Dumbledore's door late that night.   
  
"Come in." Dumbledore said, pulling on a robe.   
  
The tall new teacher entered the room.  
  
"Ah James." Dumbledore said, smiling. "I was expecting you."  
  
"Were you?" He sat down.  
  
"Yes. But what brings you here."  
  
"The fact that you didn't tell me that HE was going to be here."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Harry."  
  
"I thought you would have figured that." Dumbledore said. "You have only been absent 14 years, James."  
  
"Yes! But- I thought that-" He faltered and then sighed. "He looks exactly like me."  
  
"He does." Dumbledore said.  
  
"He has her eyes." James mentally shook himself. This was dumb. "I don't know if I can do this."  
  
"Why couldn't you do this?" Dumbledore asked. "You will be excellent."  
  
"I would love to believe you." He said and leaned back in the chair.   
  
"Well then do." Dumbledore advised. "Just so long as you remember that you are not James Potter. You are Professor Gregory Krikor. Don't forget to take your potion either. We can't have your altered features changing in the middle of a class do we?"  
  
"No sir, we don't." James said glumly.   
  
"Well then off to bed Professor Krikor!" Dumbledore said brightly.  
  
James looked like a deer in the headlights. How could he ever get used to living life like a masquerade? Smiling weakly he left the office.   
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
The day had gone smoothly so far. The classes were nice for the most part. James was actually having a very pleasant day until the 5th year Gryffindors walked into the class. Harry and his group of friends sat near the back.  
  
"My name is Gregory Krikor and I am your new Defense teacher. This class is going to be different than what you're used to by now. I don't take any crap. This subject is very serious and even more so now that Voldemort is back. You will be learning how to duel and how to block the Unforgivable Curses. I will not tolerate slackers. Is this clear?"  
  
The room nodded, a little scared.   
  
"But if you do pay attention and do your homework, we will have fun." He said. "Now, let's get to work. Dueling is the dignified sport created by Merlin to test a wizard's knowledge. Nowadays it's used for fighting. But I'm sure you already knew that. Now. First lesson today is stance. Who would like to be my guinea pig?"  
  
Nobody raised their hands. They all remembered the last dueling lesson they had had with Lockhart.   
  
"Don't you all rush up here at once." James said with a chuckle. Still, nobody volunteered. "I'm going to have to pick if somebody doesn't volunteer."  
  
James waited a moment and sighed. He turned around and grabbed the roll sheet, closed his eyes and randomly selected a name with his finger.   
  
"H- Harry Potter, will you please come up here?" James asked.  
  
Harry stood up and walked to the front of the classroom.   
  
"Now we face each other like this." James said and made it so he and Harry were facing each other. "Typically you are around five feet away from your opponent but sometimes- depending on the person- you may want to be farther away. Any questions so far?"  
  
Everybody shook their heads 'no.'   
  
"And then we bow to show that we respect each other." Harry grunted loudly. James raised his eyebrows. "Would you like to add something?"  
  
"Yeah." Harry said. "It's out of tradition that you bow, not out of respect."  
  
"Can you elaborate?"  
  
"Yes." Harry said. "Would you bow out of respect to your enemy?"  
  
"I see your point." James hissed. "But this is my classroom."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"Now. After we bow- bow Harry- then we raise our wands and duel. Is that clear?" Everybody nodded. "And then you throw your curses or hexes."  
  
Hermione rose her hand.   
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Will you be teaching us some useful curses?" She wondered. "We do have a half an hour left of this class…"  
  
"I suppose…." James said. "Harry are you willing to duel?"  
  
"Not really."  
  
"Please?"  
  
"What'll you give me?"  
  
"Ten extra credit points?"  
  
"Fine."  
  
They bowed and rose their wands high in the air.  
  
"Expeliarmus!" Harry cried quickly. James's wand started over to Harry but James grabbed it and pulled it back to him.  
  
"Stupefy!"   
  
Harry dodged it expertly. "Stupefy!"  
  
James dodged it too.  
  
"Wasletara!" He yelled.  
  
Harry flicked his wand and a shell of magic sprang up around him, blocking the spell.  
  
"Serpensortia!" Harry yelled. The snake appeared and went towards James. Harry was suddenly in the graveyard again. There was Voldemort rising out of the cauldron…Harry yelled out in horror.  
  
~* ~* ~*   
  
To the class, Harry had suddenly changed. His eyes had gone all blank and he was staring at the Professor like he was a rabid bear. He was yelling too. The snake he had made appear was going quickly towards Krikor and the professor actually looked scared.  
  
"SNAP OUT OF IT, HARRY!" Hermione screamed.   
  
Harry started and his eyes went back to normal. He looked at the Professor, smirked and shouted, "EXPELLIARMUS!" and then got rid of the snake. Krikor straitened up and Harry tossed him his wand. "I won." He said and walked back to his seat.   
  
  
  
  
  
Authors Notes: Yay! We finally finished chapter one! How do you like it? Do you think we should continue the idea? Please R/R! Thanks for reading.  
  
  



	2. Chapter Two

Ron looked at Harry. He was playing around with his porridge absentmindedly taking a spoonful and then dropping it back into the bowl. He was getting it all over himself and he didn't realize it either. Ron rolled his eyes and said, "Harry shut your mouth. Your drool will water your porridge down."  
  
Harry looked away from Cho, who was flipping her hair around a lot, looking at Harry with a smile. He glared at Ron. "What?"  
  
"You don't have a chance with her Harry." Ron persisted. "It's pointless."  
  
"Oh and when did you become the expert?" Harry said hotly and left the table. He hadnt eaten anything.   
  
Cho and her friends had left too. Harry, spotting them followed them into the entrance hall.  
  
"Did you see the way he was looking at you, Cho?" A girl asked.  
  
"He wants you bad." Said another. "But if you don't want him, I'll take him."  
  
"He's gorgeous."  
  
"He's mine!" Cho said. "And to think what he looked like LAST year."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"He was skinny and his hair was just awful." Cho said. "And he talked to much. I heard that he's barely spoken this year."  
  
"He wasn't that bad." Said a girl. "If he would have asked me to the dance, I would have gone with him."  
  
"He asked me to go with him." Cho said lightly. "Of course I said no. Poor little thing was probably heart broken for weeks. I told him I was going with Cedric. Cedric was handsome. He hadn't exactly asked me out yet, but he did the same day Harry asked, so it worked out nicely."  
  
The girls giggled. Harry's lips pressed together angrily. What an idiot he had been to believe that Cho had been sincere. He didn't want to hear anymore. He walked away out of the hall and up the stairs.   
  
"Whoa where are you going?" Somebody asked. Harry looked up. It was that annoying new teacher, Krikor.   
  
"Up." Harry said.  
  
"Well can you give me a moment of your time?" He asked. Harry took a deep breath.  
  
"Fine."  
  
"I was wondering where you learned to duel like you did last week."  
  
"I've had practice." Harry said flatly. "Why?"  
  
"Well because you beat me." Krikor said honestly. "You're amazing."  
  
"I was a champion in the Triwizard Tournament." Harry said. "I had to practice a lot. It's one of the only reason's I'm alive."   
  
"Ah. You won the tournament did you not?"  
  
"I tied." Harry said. "With Cedric Diggory."  
  
"That's fantastic." Krikor said.   
  
"But now, I need to go." Harry said and headed up the stairs.   
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
James watched his son walk up the stairs with wide eyes.   
  
"Don't worry Professor, he's not usually like that." Said a voice at his shoulder. He looked down at the busy haired girl next to him. "Hermione Granger. I met you on the train, remember?"  
  
"Of course." He said. "What did you say?"  
  
"I said that Harry's not usually that bitter." Hermione said. "I mean he's usually really nice. But he's- changed since last year."  
  
"Why do you say that?"  
  
"Well, the tournament went bad." Hermione said, looking at Harry's retreating back. "At the last task when he and Cedric touched the cup they got transported somewhere. And when he came back a couple of hours later- Cedric was dead and Harry was really shaky I think he was almost to tears. He wont tell anybody what happened- only Dumbledore and his god fat-" Hermione faltered a second and then rushed on. "He won't tell us. We're not allowed to ask him too. All we know is that he saw Voldemort come back. I think he blames himself for Cedric's death. He hasn't smiled since the task though. Well once he smiled at Hagrid but that's it."  
  
"Oh." James said. "I wonder what happened that was so terrible."  
  
"We all do." Hermione sighed. "I'd better go after him. See you Professor Krikor."  
  
"Goodbye Hermione." James said and went to his office to ponder what the girl had said.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~ *   
  
"Draco."   
  
"Yes my lord?"  
  
"Come here."  
  
Draco shuddered and walked forward. It was a cold night and the Greenhouse with its strange plants silhouetted in the moonlight was creepy. And then the fact that the Dark Lord was right in front of him didn't help the feeling in his stomach.  
  
"Yes my lord?" Draco repeated.  
  
"Draco, I'd like you to meet somebody." Voldemort said. "Hold out your hand boy."  
  
Draco held out a shaking hand. He hoped Voldemort wouldn't touch him. His skin was so dry and waxen. But he didn't. Instead Voldemort took out a rat and put it into Draco's hand.  
  
"But sir." Draco said. "This is a rat!"  
  
"Yes, indeed he is a rat." Voldemort said. "This is Peter Pettigrew."  
  
"But-"  
  
"No questions, Draco." Voldemort said. "He will be working as a spy here. If anybody asks, he is your pet rat. Is this clear?"  
  
"Y- yes." Draco said and then remembering added, "My lord."  
  
"He is to be with you at all times." Voldemort continued. "But make sure nobody sees him. The Weasley brat may recognize him."  
  
Draco nodded and left, Voldemort muttering, "We'll have that boy soon enough" behind him with a demonic laugh.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
"Now bow."   
  
Harry yawned. Krikor's class was becoming very repetitive. Lavender and Parvati were about to duel. Harry watched in mild interest as Parvati struck Lavender with a hex that made her grow an extra nose. *She isn't nearly as pretty with it there *, Harry though with a yawn. Lavender felt her face and screamed. A moment later Lavender had hurled herself on top of Parvati and was attempting to rip her hair out as she screamed insults at her.  
  
Krikor laughed and pulled the girls apart. "That's not allowed." He said and quickly fixed Lavender's face. She scowled at Parvati and found a new seat.   
  
"I hope this is not how you always conduct your classes, Professor Krikor." Said a cynical voice from the corner.  
  
Krikor looked up. "Professor Snape. How can I help you?"  
  
"Just observing, actually." Snape said.  
  
"Well do keep quiet then." Krikor said shortly. "I'm trying to teach."  
  
"Yes, TRYING is a very good way of phrasing it." Snape said mildly.   
  
"Leave." Krikor said.  
  
"Make me."  
  
"A duel then." Krikor snapped. "I've been wanting to show a real duel all week to the students."  
  
"Sure." Snape said.  
  
"Students, please move your desks to the back of the room. Professor Snape and I will show you how this works."   
  
Slightly afraid for Krikor's life, the students moved the desks away.   
  
Krikor and Snape bowed slightly.   
  
"FURNUCULOUS!" Krikor said. Snape dodged it.   
  
"Expeliarmus!" Snape bellowed. Krikor dodged it.   
  
"Tarentellegra!"  
  
Snape couldn't dodge that one. He began dancing, but he had soon thrown it off of himself.   
  
"Bad move, Krikor! Stupefy!"  
  
Krikor dodged this too. "WIMBLETHUM!"  
  
Snape blocked the curse.   
  
"Stupefy!" Krikor said. Snape blocked this too.  
  
Suddenly Krikor was doubled up wheezing for breath. He mumbled something and shot it. Snape yelled out in fury as his hair disappeared. Krikor grinned and said, "Stupefy!" And Snape froze and fell over.   
  
~* ~* ~* ~*   
  
  
"Harry." Krikor said. "Will you please stay after class?"   
  
"Um- okay." Harry said. The bell rang and everybody packed up their things and left. Harry gathered up his things and moved to the front of the classroom. "What do you want me here for?"  
  
"I think we need to discuss a few things." Krikor said folded his arms in a business like manner.   
  
"Okay." Harry said. He sat down. "Like what?"  
  
"Like your attitude." Krikor said. "Frankly, it pisses me off."  
  
"Frankly I don't give a damn and are you allowed to say that word?" Harry said before he could stop himself.  
  
"I'm allowed to say whatever I want." Krikor said hotly. He took out a leather water pouch and took a long drink. "You, on the other hand, cannot."  
  
"What are you getting at?" Harry asked, eyeing the water pouch uneasily.   
  
"You attitude in class- in school- in GENERAL is terrible." Krikor said. "I think you need to work on a way to change it."  
  
"Why?" Harry said. "Why do you care? I turn in my homework, I get good grades. Isn't that all you teachers care about?"   
  
"We care about the well being of our students too!" Krikor said.   
  
"Oh." Harry said. "Well I am fine. I'm not sick. I have friends."  
  
"You'd have more if you weren't so mean."  
  
"Who said I was mean?" Harry said loudly. "I'm just - just- EEUGH! Can I leave now?"  
  
"No." Krikor said. "I just want to know what it is that's bugging you."  
  
"Well at the moment, you-" Krikor held up a hand, was cutting Harry off.  
  
"Stop." He said. "Don't say anything you might regret later."  
  
"Oh, good advice." Harry said.   
  
"What is wrong. All your friends keep telling me you aren't really as mean as you come off to be. And you aren't as mean to Snape as you are to me. What did I ever do to you?"  
  
"Nothing." Harry said shortly. "Yet."  
  
"Why do you hate me? I haven't done anything!"  
  
"I didn't say I hated you. I said I didn't trust you." Harry said with a shrug.  
  
"Are you like this to everybody."  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"Stop!" Krikor said loudly. "What is your problem!"  
  
"I thought we went over this already. You are at the moment."  
  
"Will you stop saying that?" Krikor said. "Listen, kid. You may not trust me or whatever but you're gonna fall into a deeper hole if you keep shutting the world out like you have been for the last three weeks."  
  
"What do you know about anything!" Harry said. "You haven't seen what I've seen. You haven't done what I've done. You know nothing about me!"  
  
"I know more about you than you may think!"   
  
"Oh yeah, like what?" Harry said, crossing his arms and leaning back in the chair.  
  
"I know your middle name."  
  
"I don't have a middle name." Harry snapped. "What else do you know about me, * Krikor? *"   
  
"I know what happened at the third task."  
  
"Isn't that lovely." Harry said. "So does everybody else that was in the stands that night."  
  
"And I know that Cedric Diggory died."  
  
"Wow, I can see you read the papers." Harry said, his face tightening.  
  
"I know you won't let yourself get over it."   
  
Harry said nothing, just glared at him.   
  
"Do you blame yourself for his death?"  
  
"What?" Harry said, almost yelling. "Who are * you * to ask me that?"  
  
"Because it wasn't your fault. Cedric agreed to touch that cup with you. He could have said no."  
  
"Yes and I could have gone without him and he'd still be alive." Harry said flatly.   
  
"Would you like to tell me about it?"  
  
"Not really!" Harry said hotly. "I don't need a counselor!"  
  
"Oh, and everybody can see that, too." Krikor said, loosing his temper. "You don't need a counselor! You'll do fine by yourself, shooing away all affection you get from your friends and peers. Are you afraid if you become friends with someone, they'll die and then you'll have to be depressed all over again? Is that your problem, Harry?"  
  
"Mind your own business." Harry said. "I don't need your help. * I'm fine. *"  
  
"You could just let your feelings out and then that statement would ring true." Krikor said delicately.   
  
"Stop trying to be my friend." Harry snapped. "You are a teacher, nothing more." He picked up his things and left the classroom.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
"Harry are you okay?" Hermione asked Harry later that night. "You seemed pretty ticked when you got into History class."  
  
"It's Krikor." Harry said with a sigh. "He's being a nosy bastard."  
  
"What did he say?"  
  
"He asked me what my problem was like 14 times, told me that I was sheltering myself from the world, that I was mean and then had the courage to ask me about Cedric." Harry said. "I don't like him."  
  
"Well- maybe he was just trying to help." Hermione suggested.  
  
"Help!" Harry said and threw up his arms. "Help me with what? I don't know why people think I'm different! I feel the same to me!"  
  
Hermione got a pained look in her eyes and patted his shoulder; "Everybody is just a little freaked Harry. When you got back from the third task- no don't scowl at me- you looked scared. And if everybody's hero is scared, why, then so is everybody else."  
  
"That's crap. For one I'm not scared and for two nobody would be affected if I was." Harry said.   
  
"You make an impact on people, Harry!" Hermione said. "Whether you realize it or not, you change people. You changed me, I think. When you met me, I had no friends and all I did was talk about course studies-"  
  
"You still talk about course studies." Ron said, plunking down in a chair.   
  
"Yes but I don't always talk about them now. I think I'm a better person because you came along."  
  
Harry snorted. "Hermione, I'm touched and all, but that's dog shit. You have always had friends. Neville has always been your friend."  
  
Hermione pressed her lips together. "Fine. Deny it."  
  
"I will." Harry said.  
  
"He will." Ron said with a little nod.   
  
~* ~  
  
Harry tossed in his sleep. He was having an odd dream. In it Justin Finch- Fletchley was sneaking out of his dorm room and creeping out of the Hufflepuff common room. Looking cautiously around him, like a nervous cat he made his way down the halls of Hogwarts and then finally to the large oak front doors. Looking around nervously again, he cracked one open and slid out into the night.   
  
He broke into a run across the yards and gardens until he reached the greenhouses. He walked inside and headed to the most recent class project and picked it up. "You will win the contest." He whispered other things to the plant and then put it back on the shelf. He shoved a hand into his pockets and produced a little bag that read 'Ever- Grow Plant Enhancer' and ripped it open. Inside looked like soil with bits of silvery things in it. Justin poured it into the soil in the planter and, looking smug shoved the empty bag back into his pocket.  
  
Suddenly voices filled the room. Justin ducked down out of sight.   
  
"My lord!" A whiny male voice said. "You look well."  
  
"Thank you Wormtail." A cold shrewd voice said. Justin shivered. "What news do you have for me?"  
  
"Not much." The man called Wormtail said. "Nothing has happened. Except the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher…we should keep an eye on that one."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"He seems familiar to me…." Wormtail said. "And he seems very powerful. He would be a formidable enemy indeed."  
  
"What did you say his name was?"  
  
"Gregory Krikor, my Lord." Wormtail said.  
  
Justin suddenly let out a squeak of fear. The voice was Voldemort!  
  
"What was that?" Wormtail said with a jump. "Who's there?"  
  
Justin dared not to breathe. "Probably just a Mandrake shifting in its soil." Voldemort said lazily. "Keep going."  
  
"And Harry Potter needs watching too." Wormtail said. "He is a strong fighter now. He beat Krikor in a duel if the rumors are true."  
  
Justin shifted in his position on the floor upsetting a shelf. A pot fell off of it and smashed to the ground. Justin let out a strangled cry. That was his plant, lying ruined on the floor.  
  
"Stand up boy." A fat balding man commanded. Justin obeyed, shakily.   
  
"W- who are-" He stammered looking from the chubby man to the tall man.  
  
"How much did you hear?"   
  
"A-all." Justin said.  
  
"My Lord?" Asked the fat one. "What shall we do with him?"  
  
"We'll see. What's your name boy?" Voldemort asked.  
  
"J-Justin."  
  
"You go to school here?"  
  
"Y-yes."  
  
"What do you think of your DADA teacher?"  
  
"I think he's an excellent teacher." Justin said.   
  
"And what do you think of Harry Potter?"  
  
"H- he's my friend." Justin said. "Please don't hurt me. I swear I didn't do anything to you!"  
  
"How good of friends are you?" Voldemort asked. "With Harry Potter?"  
  
"Since second year we've been friends." Justin said. "Are you going to kill him?"  
  
"Yes, but you wont be here to see it." Voldemort said with a catlike grin. "Any last words?"  
  
"What? You're going to kill me?"  
  
"Those will do." Voldemort laughed. "AVADA KEDAVRA!"  
  
Justin slumped to the floor, dead.  
  
~ * ~  
  
"Harry. Wake up!" Ron said and shook his best friend. "HARRY! WAKE UP!"   
  
Harry continued to shake in some terrible dream he had slipped in to. Ron was afraid. Harry's mouth was open in some silent scream and his body was twitching and writhing madly.   
  
"Go get help!" Ron called to the boys that were gathered around Harry's bed. "Get McGonagall or Pomfrey- or anybody!"  
  
They all scampered out of the room. Ron continued to shake Harry. Why wouldn't he wake? What was he dreaming about?  
  
The boys returned with three people to help; Madame Pomfrey, Dumbledore and Krikor.  
  
"What's doing on?" Madame Pomfrey asked. "Somebody turn a light on I cant see in the dark!"  
  
"I second that." Dumbledore and Krikor chimed.   
  
"He- won't wake up!" Ron said. Madame Pomfrey shoed him away from Harry.  
  
"This boy will never stop running out of medical emergencies." She grumbled and took out her wand as Seamus lit candles. She started murmuring charms. "Greg, hold him still, will you?" Madame Pomfrey said. "He's moving to much. I keep missing him and getting his pillow."  
  
Krikor nodded and held Harry's shoulders down.  
  
"Damn!" Madame Pomfrey said suddenly. The boys jumped. They had never heard her say anything like that before.   
  
"What is it Poppy?" Dumbledore asked, looking a little startled himself.   
  
"He isn't accepting the charms!" She said. "Finnigan! Get me the water pitcher!"   
  
Seamus jumped up and went to the window and produced the pitcher they had sitting on the ledge.   
  
"Here." He said and gave it to her.   
  
"Thank you." She said and threw it on Harry. He made a gurgling noise and did not wake up.  
  
"Try opening his eyes." Krikor suggested. "And shine light in them."  
  
"It's worth a shot." Madam Pomfrey said. "Lumos. Greg, open his eyes will you?"  
  
Krikor shrugged and did as he was told.   
  
"Wake up Harry." He said in a barely audible whisper. Madame Pomfrey shined the light into Harry's eyes. He squirmed and tried to shake off Krikor.   
  
"Harry are you okay?" Ron asked urgently.   
  
Harry looked up at his best friend's scared, pale face. "Y-yeah."  
  
"What were you dreaming about, Harry?" Dumbledore asked. Harry jumped. He hadnt seen him standing there.  
  
"V-Voldemort!" Harry said, shaking still. "I-in the g-green- the greenhouses…and P-Pettigrew…killed- k-killed- dead!"   
  
"Hmm." Dumbledore said. "I'll have somebody search the Greenhouses. Madame Pomfrey, Professor Krikor lets let these boys get some sleep." And they left. Harry shakily lay back down in his bed.  
  
But he did not sleep that night.  
  
  
  
Author's Note from Tadariada: Hey guys! I just wanted to thank you for all your kind reviews. (BTW the last two chapters written are by me but never fear No Reply will put her two cents in VERY soon)::cough cough:: No Reply you ARE working on the ahem- ahem ::CoughTOASTERGETTINGKILLEDCough:: chapter AREN'T YOU? Hehehehe. Anyway, please review and tell us what you think of our plot. It means a lot to us!   



	3. Chapter Three

But Justin was at class the next day. Harry eyed him nervously for a long time, deciding whether or not to tell him. But in the end, the decision was quite obvious. Harry didn't tell him because- as Uncle Vernon had told him- dreams are fake and anybody who believes in them is dense and wont get anywhere in life.   
  
His thoughts were on the contest Sprout was holding. The group of people who got their qwalshes (pumpkin like plants) the largest wouldn't have to take the final that year. Harry was almost excited. Everybody was. Justin was sitting on his stool with the widest grin on his face. Justin was great at Herbology, almost as good as Neville.   
  
Class ended and everybody walked away from the greenhouses chattering about the contest.  
  
"Wont it be great, Harry?" Neville asked. "If we win the contest- no final! I won't even have to study!"  
  
Harry looked at the ecstatic look on his plump friend's face. He looked like a happy child. Harry gave him a rare smile. "Yeah, I hope we win."  
  
Hermione tugged on Ron's robes and pointed to Harry. "He's cracking!" She said. "Look, he's smiling!"  
  
"Amazing." Ron said sarcastically. "He's smiled before this."  
  
"Not in a while!" Hermione persisted.   
  
"I suppose…." Ron said. "But really, it's not that special."  
  
"Sick in the mud." Hermione teased.  
  
"Bookworm!"  
  
"Troll!" Hermione said.  
  
"Bush!"  
  
They giggled. When they had stopped Hermione and Ron watched as Parvati sauntered up to Harry.  
  
"Hi Harry." She said.  
  
Harry swirled around. "Oh, hi Parvati. How are you?"  
  
"Good, and you?"  
  
"Eh, could be better."  
  
"That's too bad." Parvati said and latched elbows with him. "I hope it gets better for you."  
  
"That's nice to say." Harry said. "Thank you. What did you do this summer?"  
  
"Oh, I visited my Aunt in Romania but that's about it." She said. "What did YOU do this summer, Harry?"  
  
"Nothing. I'm still with my Aunt and Uncle in the summer. I'm their personal slave, I swear."  
  
Parvati giggled. "Tell me more about it."  
  
"Okay." Harry said. "And my cousin, (his name is Dudley) he just keeps getting fatter and fatter…they have to go to the store twice a week to get him clothes that fit."  
  
They both giggled and then Hermione realized that Harry was FLIRTING. For some reason it seemed odd to her that Harry should be participating in such a sport. As one of her best friends she had always thought of him- to put it bluntly- non-sexual. Especially last year. He hadn't been handsome, just okay and skinny and short. But now that he had grown up (literally) a little and his voice wasn't so high and his hair wasn't so- EVERYWHERE, he was handsome.   
  
"Hermione, you're staring at Harry." Ron commented a little angrily.   
  
"I know." Hermione said and averted her stare to the castle ahead. "All girls do at some point…"  
  
Ron made a noise in his throat. "That's rather-"  
  
"Just like all boys look at Lavender." Hermione said. Ron shut his mouth. Hermione looked back over at Harry. "Just look at him."  
  
"Why?" Ron said. "I see Harry all the time."  
  
"Yes, but he's flirting like his life depended on it!" Hermione said with a laugh. Harry was playing with Parvati's hair now, pretending like he was braiding it.   
  
Ron half glared at Harry. "And it's working too. Just look at Parvati!"  
  
"Lavender's jealous." Hermione commented. "Perhaps Neville will flirt with her now."  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
  
Sirius,  
You wanted to know about weird stuff around the castle didn't you? Well, I'm telling you whether you want me too or not. The new DADA teacher is making me nervous. I can't explain why. It isn't fear, I know that. But the guy won't leave my alone. He asks nosy questions, keeps me after class 'just to chat about things' and always picks on me in class. Not the way Snape picks on me. Like he wants to know every single thing about me. And you know my past with DADA teachers. His name is Gregory Krikor. All the teachers seem to like him and all the students too. But I don't trust him. I caught him looking- staring- at me during dinner last week. Just staring. I mean for the WHOLE dinner. He even missed his mouth with his fork once. Do you know anything about a Gregory Krikor?   
  
Harry Potter  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Sirius folded the letter and put it in his dirty robe's breast pocket, and transformed back into a dog. Hogsmeade was just as he left it. He recognized the townspeople as he trotted through the village. The little children ran up to him and pet him and ran away before their mothers could scold them.   
  
Sirius pressed on up the mountain. Hogwarts was getting nearer and nearer. So were Harry and Dumbledore and this… this TEACHER that Harry had been talking about. Sirius didn't like the sounds of him so far. He would do some of his own investigating though.   
  
He scratched on the front doors and eventually they opened up for him. He walked through the deserted halls. The students were at dinner most likely. Sirius walked up the stairs.   
  
Sirius turned a corner.   
  
"Siri- SNUFFLES?" Somebody said loudly. It was Ron Weasley. Sirius barked and walked over to him. "What are you doing here? You'll -you'll get caught!"   
  
Sirius shook his head as best a dog could.   
  
"C'mon." Ron said. "Maybe Harry'll cheer up when he sees you."  
  
Sirius suddenly wished that dogs could talk so he could ask Ron what he meant. But of course they cant so Sirius just followed Ron into the common room.  
  
"Ron, why are you grinning like an ape?" Hermione asked. "What are you hiding?"  
  
"Harry." Ron said grandly. "Let me introduce you to…man's best friend!" Sirius barked and rushed forward to Harry.  
  
His face split into the first real smile they had seen in a while. His voice cracked as he said, "Snuffles what are you doing here?"  
  
Harry found the letter he had written to Sirius earlier that month being thrown at him. Harry reread it.  
  
"Oh. Right. You're going to see what you think about him?"  
  
Sirius nodded. He nudged his head against Harry's knee and trotted off.   
  
"Where are you going?" Harry asked hotly.  
  
Sirius barked something that sounded amazingly like "Dumbledore".   
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
Sirius waited patiently out side of Dumbledore's door. He could hear the conversation from inside. It sounded almost like an argument.  
  
"Professor Krikor, please calm yourself, the boy is fine. You should have known there would be a student that wouldn't like you."  
  
"Yes, but him? You would think we would get a long perfectly. I mean we do have all the same hobbies, he's the best at all the subjects I was the best at. Why does he hate me?"  
  
"He doesn't hate you." Dumbledore said. "Hate is a rather strong word. He barely knows you."  
  
"Well he acts like he hates me, Albus. It's getting on my nerves. And he talks back and he's just nasty. And I thought, from all the articles that I read about him I would find a short, skinny cowardly boy who cries a lot."  
  
"Funny how the press lies." Dumbledore said. "Harry is a fine boy, and he never has cried. Or I haven't seen him. And I've seen him do a lot of deathly things."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Fell of a broom once. Dementors drained him."  
  
"Wow."  
  
Sirius was sick of waiting. He barked loudly and waited.  
  
"That sounds familiar." Dumbledore said. Suddenly the door was open. The headmaster looked mildly surprised. "Ah Snuffles. Come in, come in. Professor Krikor and I are almost done." Sirius did just that.  
  
The man, Krikor swiveled around in his chair to see what it was. Sirius looked up into the bright blue eyes and cocked his head to the side…he seemed familiar.   
  
Krikor suddenly made a choking noise and his eyes widened. "I think I'll leave now." He said quickly. "Thank you for seeing me, Sir."  
  
"Goodbye Greg." Dumbledore sighed as Krikor left the room. Sirius transformed as soon as he left.  
  
"Who is he and how do I know him?" Sirius asked.  
  
Dumbledore chuckled. He had figured Sirius would be around to make sure everything in the castle was in order. He had planned what he was going to do too. Sirius would thank him later. "His names is Gregory Krikor and I'm not to sure how you know him, Sirius."  
  
"Are you sure?" Sirius asked.   
  
"Quite."  
  
"Oh." Sirius said. "It's just- this is going to sound odd- his eyes look so familiar to me."  
  
Dumbledore shrugged. "I really don't know what to tell you."   
  
Sirius sighed. "Alright. I believe you. I just thought I'd let you know that I was here."  
  
"And you are welcome to stay." Dumbledore said. "In form of a dog, of course. You'd scare he students if you weren't."  
  
"I know." Sirius said. "I suppose I'll leave now."  
  
"Good day to you then, Sirius."  
  
"Good day." Sirius transformed and walked out of the office.   
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
  
Somebody shook Harry awake early the next morning. Harry grumbled something about sleeping peacefully and sat up. Ron was in front of him and he looked rather pale.  
  
"What is it?" He asked. "What is so important that you would wake me up on a Saturday?"   
  
"Th- the dark mark." Ron said.  
  
"What?" Harry said. "What about it?"  
  
"Fired over the greenhouses." Ron continued shakily.   
  
The color drained from Harry's face. "Who died?"  
  
"Justin." Ron said. "Justin's been killed."  
  
"No!" Harry said in a whisper. "You're joking me, right?"  
  
Ron shook his head.  
  
"The school is meeting in about a half an hour in the Great Hall." Seamus said. "I'm sorry Harry. I knew he was your friend."   
  
Harry stood up and got dressed shakily. It was all Harry's fault. He hadn't warned Justin about the Greenhouses. And now he was dead, dead, dead.   
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
  
"I regret to inform you that a student has been taken away from us last night." Dumbledore said. "Justin Finch-Fletchley was killed in the Greenhouses. He was a good friend, an excellent student and very nice all around. He will be missed sorely."  
  
There was an awful lot of sniffing coming from the Hufflepuff table.   
  
"A mass will be held in honor of him tomorrow and anybody is welcome to come." Dumbledore said. He paused for a minute. "Now I'd like to reiterate the importance of the no wandering after hours rule. We do not want anybody hurt in this castle or on it's grounds so now it is even more important that you keep to the rule. Anybody caught outside their dorms after nine o'clock will be excused from all further Quidditch matches and Hogsmeade trips. Aurors will monitor Quidditch matches and teachers will be overseeing the practices. Is this all quite clear?"  
  
Everybody murmured his or her replies.  
  
"You are dismissed to your Saturday then." Dumbledore said.   
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
Harry did not attend the service for Justin. He felt too guilty. Instead he stayed in the dorms with the curtains pulled around his bed. Nobody, not even Sirius dared to go see if he was okay. He had heard about Harry's recent development of a terrible temper and Sirius wanted to keep himself in one piece if it was possible.   
  
Nobody bothered him either when he didn't emerge from his bed the next morning. Harry missed all his classes that day.  
  
Hermione and Ron walked up the stairs to the dorm room together.   
  
"Harry?" Hermione asked.  
  
There was no reply.  
  
"Harry are you okay?" Ron asked.  
  
There was no reply again.  
  
"We- we brought your homework." Hermione said. "You missed a lot today."  
  
"McGonagall'll probably be up here later to ask why you weren't there." Ron said. "You'd probably get yourself terminally sick pretty soon or you'll be in a lot of trouble."  
  
No sounds came from the bed.   
  
Hermione sighed. "Harry, say something."  
  
Nothing.  
  
"I'm sick of this." Ron said finally. He ripped open the curtains. The bed was neatly made and empty.   
  
Hermione made a noise in her throat. "Well I suppose we should find him now…"  
  
They left the dorm room and began asking around.  
  
"No, I haven't seen him in- two days." Neville told them. Everybody else said the same thing.   
  
"Where could he hide?" Hermione said.   
  
"Well, Hogwarts is a big place." Ron commented.  
  
"Showers maybe?" Hermione said. "I mean, he has to take one every once in a while to smell that good."  
  
Ron punched her shoulder lightly. "If I didn't know any better I would think that you had a-"  
  
"I DO NOT have a crush on him." Hermione said.  
  
"Well then why do you say things like that?"  
  
"To annoy you." Hermione said. "And he DOES smell good."  
  
Ron shook his head and walked over to the Boy's Shower Room. He was halfway into the door when he stopped and turned around.   
  
"Aren't you coming Hermione?"  
  
"That's a BOYS shower room." Hermione said stupidly. "I'm a girl."  
  
"Yes, Hermione." Ron said. "Now can you tell me what color the sky is?"  
  
"Shut up Ron." Hermione said. "It's just- what if somebody's in there?"  
  
Ron smirked at her. "Afraid you might like it?"   
  
Hermione blushed madly, socked him hard on the shoulder and followed him in.  
  
"Harry are you in here?" Hermione called. Her voice bounced off the walls.  
  
There was a muffled cry. A hand poked out of a shower stall and grabbed a towel.  
  
"Why is there a girl in here?" Came Neville's voice from behind the door.  
  
"Don't sweat it, Nev." Hermione said. "We aren't looking. But have you seen Harry?"  
  
"You already asked me that." He said. The door opened and Neville stepped out fully clothed with wet hair. "I still haven't seen him."  
  
"Right sorry." Ron said. Neville left the shower room. "I guess he isn't in here then."  
  
"I guess not…." Hermione said faintly. "Look at that."  
  
"Look at what?" Ron asked.  
  
Hermione pointed to a shower stall that had its door open. The person who had been there last had forgotten their shampoo.  
  
"That." Hermione said. Ron scoffed.  
  
"Oh gee." He said. "Shampoo! Never seen that before!"  
  
"No, not that. Look at the floor." Hermione said. Ron looked down.   
  
On the floor, near the drain was a small puddle of blood. Next to it was a broken pink razor. The head of the razor was lying a good four inches away from the rest of it.  
  
Hermione looked at Ron's face. "What is it?" She asked.   
  
"The shampoo." Ron said faintly.  
  
"Why are you talking about the shampoo? Look at the blood!"  
  
"The shampoo- it's- it's-" Ron faltered. "It's Harry's shampoo."  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
  
"Maybe it was just a shaving accident!" Hermione said quickly. "It could happen!"  
  
Ron shook his head. "There's a charm that you can use instead of a razor."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
Ron stared at her. "Are you mad? Now is not the time to swap charms!"  
  
Hermione seemed to come out of a daze. "You're right. But I mean there is a possibility that the shampoo isn't Harry's. There are a lot of boys in Gryffindor."  
  
Ron half glared at her. "How many guys do you know that use Pantene Pro-V Smooth and Sleek Shampoo?"  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*   
  
  
  



	4. Chapter Four

A/N: Yay! Touching chapter!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Harry was at breakfast the next day. Hermione and Ron sat down next to him.  
  
"Hey, there you are!" Hermione said. "We were worried about you."  
  
"Why?" Harry asked as he put some food under the table for Sirius.   
  
"You didn't talk to anybody for two days, Harry." Ron said. Harry shrugged.  
  
"I've done it before."  
  
"Yeah, when you're on holiday at the Dursleys or something, but not here!" Hermione said. "Are you alright?"  
  
"Just peachy."   
  
"Okay."  
  
Ginny sat down. "Hi Harry."  
  
"Hey Gin." Harry said.  
  
"How are you?"  
  
"Could be better and you?"  
  
"The same."  
  
Ron gripped his fork. Why was Harry flirting? With HIS sister?  
  
"Take a breath Ron." Hermione said, eyeing him. "Guys flirt. Harry is a guy."  
  
"That's my little sister though."  
  
"She's flirted with him before." Hermione pointed out.  
  
"But he's flirting back this time!"  
  
"Oh grow up." Hermione said. Ron got rather red in the face as Harry leaned over the table to brush a red curly lock of hair out of Ginny's eyes.   
  
"I'll- kill- him." Was all he could choke out.   
  
Hermione sighed. "Boys."  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
"I expect everybody to do excellently on the Dueling quiz next week." Krikor said. "Study hard. You're dismissed."  
  
The bell rang and everybody hurried out of the classroom. Harry was still gathering his things when the room had been deserted.  
  
"Harry, having troubles?" Krikor asked. Harry shook his head.  
  
"No sir." Harry said. "I'm just trying to round up my crap. I'll be out of your room in about ten seconds."  
  
"Why don't you stay after a while and talk with me?" Krikor asked nicely. Harry dropped his things on his desk.  
  
"Why are you so fascinated by me? What do I do or say that is so interesting that you want to talk with me after class three times a month?"  
  
"Because you, unlike everybody else in my classes, are not enjoying it. Most people find dueling fun."  
  
"It really depends on the circumstances one is forced to duel upon."  
  
"What?" Krikor asked.  
  
"Dueling is not fun, sir. Dueling is not a sport. It's where one wizard tries to kill another wizard in what the wizard calls a 'noble' way." Harry said.   
  
"Sit." Krikor pointed to a seat. "Explain."   
  
Harry sat down at an empty desk at the front of the class.  
  
"Gilderoy Lockhart tried to host a dueling club when I was in my second year. He took my worst enemy, Draco Malfoy to duel and me in front of everybody in the room. I was supposed to be blocking whatever curse he threw at me."  
  
"Keep going, please." Krikor said.  
  
"Yes, well Malfoy set a snake on me and it started charging J-Justin Finch- F- Fletchley. Nearly bit his head off. I told the snake to stop charging him in Parseltongue and for nearly the rest of the year the entire school thought I was Slytherins heir."  
  
"But you aren't…right?"  
  
"Of course I'm not!" Harry said. "Voldemort is."  
  
"Ah, I see." Krikor said. "But you won the duel anyways, it seems. Why do you hate dueling so?"  
  
"And you care because…?"  
  
"Because I'm interested."   
  
"Fine." Harry said. "The reason I hate dueling is because last year Voldemort got his bloody body back and forced me to duel with him. All I knew how to do in dueling was to disarm somebody and a lot of good that was going to do with a bunch of Death Eaters behind him ready to give him his wand back. He did all three Unforgivable Curses on me. I can bock Imperious. When he tried Avada Kedavra on me our magic connected and weird things happened. We floated around in mid air and all the shadows of the people he killed started coming out of his wand. That includes my parents. I hate dueling and I always will. Every time I do it I have the worst flashbacks. I never duel if I can avoid it. Any questions?"  
  
Krikor just stared at Harry for a moment before shaking his head. "Y- you can go now."  
  
"Thank you." Harry said. He reached behind him to grab his books. His robes moved forward on his arms and Krikor saw a fleeting glimpse of white on his writs.  
  
"Harry…." James said slowly. "What is that on your wrist?"  
  
Harry paled. "My shirt? Skin? What do you mean?"  
  
"I meant to ask you, Harry. Why weren't you in class yesterday?"  
  
"I-I was- um…." Harry groped around in his mind for an answer. "Sick."  
  
"With what were you sick with that you couldn't come to class?"  
  
"Stomach Flu." Harry said. "You know…24 hour stomach flu."   
  
"What's on your writs Harry?" James asked.   
  
"What's up your ass Krikor?" Harry yelled. "I'm leaving! This has gone to far!"  
  
"Don't you move, Harry Potter. Give me your hands." James demanded. "Now."  
  
"No!" Harry said.  
  
"What are you hiding from me?"  
  
"Nothing!" Harry yelled. "Let me go!"  
  
"Then you won't mind showing me your wrists!" James said and grabbed both Harry's hands, knocking the books on the floor. The crash woke Sirius up with a bark in the back of the classroom. He prowled forward, hackles raised.  
  
"Get off of me!" Harry said loudly. "Get off! I said, get off!"  
  
Sirius growled and barked.  
  
"Shut up." James said to Sirius harshly. "Now Harry. Would you like to tell me where you were yesterday?"  
  
"Not really!" Harry said loudly. "Let go!"  
  
James' thumbs were placed on Harry's palms. (Detectives do that like a lie test. If your pulse changes, they know you're lying)   
  
Sirius looked ready to attack James.   
  
"What's on your wrists Harry?" James repeated.  
  
Harry tried to free himself from James's hold. It wasn't working.  
  
"I'll report you for this." Harry said, almost yelling. "You aren't allowed to do this!"  
  
James looked calm as he said. "Quite the contrary." And without another word he quickly pulled up Harry's sleeves to show two bandaged wrists. James's cool smile disappeared, as he looked closer at the gauze. "Y-you- slit your writs?"  
  
Harry glanced down at Sirius with an innocent smile. Sirius gave him the look of death and raised his hackles higher.  
  
"What is this?" James nearly yelled.  
  
"Nothing." Harry said, still trying to wriggle free. "And it's none of your business anyways!"  
  
"You tried to kill yourself?" James said.   
  
Harry's face contorted. "Let me go you - you-"  
  
"Do you realize how terrible that is!" James yelled. "Why did you do it?"  
  
"GET OFF OF ME!" Harry said and finally pulled free of him. "So what if I did try to kill myself!"  
  
"I can't believe I'm hearing this!" James yelled back. "HAROLD JAMES POTTER! Stay where you are! What do you mean 'so what? THIS is your LIFE we're talking about."  
  
"I mean I have no parents to make proud and Voldemort will get me someday. I was only trying to speed up the process!" Harry yelled. "Now will you stop trying to be a father figure? This is my life and I do with it what I chose!" He grabbed his things and half ran out of the room. Sirius ran after him, skidding into things on the stone floor.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
  
"Hey Potter." Malfoy sneered.   
  
"What is it Draco?" Harry asked. Snape was obviously having a good day and had decided to put Harry and Draco together as lab partners. Draco smiled fakely at him and tossed some dried slugs into the cauldron.  
  
"I heard a rumor about you."  
  
"Isn't that great." Harry said flatly. "Don't stir the potion so fast, idiot! It'll explode."  
  
"If it's true, it is great." Malfoy said and stopped stirring altogether.   
  
"Well if you don't stir it it'll turn to stone!" Harry said angrily. "And this is my caulron we're using. Move over." Harry pushed Draco over and took over stirring.  
  
"Well the rumor said that you tried to k-"  
  
"There are always rumors about me, Malfoy." Harry interjected.   
  
"Yes, but this one is one of the best I've heard." Draco said. "I heard that you tried to kill yourself."  
  
"And if it would have worked, I wouldn't have to endure you talking to me anymore." Harry said poisonously.   
  
Draco's jaw dropped open. "It's true then?"  
  
"Am I denying?"  
  
"No." Draco said slowly. "You aren't. Why aren't you dead then, Potter? Did you chicken out?"  
  
"No." Harry snapped harshly and glared at him. "The razor broke. It was a piece of crap and it broke and I lived."   
  
Malfoy grinned at Harry. "You know, you're easier to get along with now that the sunshine is out of your ass."  
  
"That may be true…." Harry said. "But I still hate you." He shoved the wooden spoon he had been stirring with into Draco's hands. "Stir."  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
Sirius made his way, somewhat slowly, out of the castle. He was having a bad week. On Tuesday he had found out that Harry had tried to kill himself. On Wednesday Professor Trelawney claimed that he was the grim and tried to kill him with a teapot. On Thursday a class of first year Gryffindors in Transfiguration class had tried to make McGonagall turn him into dirt, luckily she had refused. And now it was Friday night and Sirius was thinking about the teacher that Harry didn't like; Krikor. He knew Krikor somehow, he was sure. But he couldn't figure out how yet.  
  
Sirius walked down to the lake and looked at his black and white reflection. His hair was quite shaggy…. Perhaps Hermione knew a charm to groom dogs. It was always possible and the girl was a walking spell book.   
  
A sudden noise made Sirius look up. It had sounded like footsteps but Sirius only saw and elk when he looked up. He looked down again briefly. And then a sudden thought. ~* Elk don't live in these mountains. ~* He looked up again. Now that he looked at the beast carefully he realized it wasn't an elk at all.  
  
It was a stag.   
  
Sirius walked over to the animal. It was tall and muscular. It held itself like royalty. It didn't move as Sirius walked around it. It only stepped back a few paces when Sirius changed into a human.  
  
"What dream is this?" Sirius whispered and continued to circle the animal, slowly. "Do my eyes deceive me?"  
  
He stopped and looked the animal in the eyes. It did the same with a cool, riveting blue stare.  
  
Sirius strained his eyes in the moonlight to see. Finally he said in an even quieter voice than before, "James?"  
  
The animal broke the stare and Sirius shook himself mentally. These woods were magic. There could be a stag with blue eyes in there easily. He shook his head and said, "Stupid" and began to walk away.   
  
He hadnt walked ten feet when he heard a voice. "Wait, Sirius."  
  
Sirius froze and, without moving his feet turned around. The stag was gone, replaced by a tall thin man with messy hair.  
  
Sirius blinked and did not move. His voice was absent from his throat and his mouth had gone rather dry. Finally, after much swallowing and deep breaths he said, "But you're dead!"  
  
James laughed and shook his head. "No."  
  
Sirius walked over to James in two large strides and pulled the man into a firm one-armed hug.   
  
"Not dead!" He said through tears.   
  
James grinned and hugged his best friend back with as much force. "It takes a little more than a psychopath to kill me."  
  
Sirius laughed and broke the hug. "Trust you to make the most serious of things funny."   
  
James shook his head and punched Sirius on the shoulder. "Now, tell me about my son. I've missed a lot haven't I?"  
  
"First tell me how you survived!" Sirius said and put an arm on James's shoulder and led him off towards the forest.   
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
  
  
Harry was pacing in the dorm room. Ron and Hermione were talking to each other and keeping an eye on Harry slightly.  
  
Suddenly Harry stopped pacing. "Damn it!" He burst out.  
  
"What's wrong?" Hermione and Ron asked at the same time.  
  
"Crouch took my map and never gave it back!" Harry said.   
  
"Oh Harry you've got that thing memorized." Hermione said. "And Moody took it from you not Crouch, right?"  
  
"No." Harry said. "I mean Crouch and don't tell me I'm crazy, I'll explain later…where would he have put it? I wish he didn't lose his soul now so I could just send him a letter…!"  
  
Ron and Hermione looked at each other.  
  
"Harry, what did you eat tonight?" Ron asked.   
  
"Nothing." Harry snapped. "I wasn't hungry. What's that got to do with anything?"  
  
"Harry, you should eat." Hermione said.  
  
"I know that." Harry said. "But I wasn't hungry. It's not like I'm anorexic!"  
  
"I suppose." Hermione said. "And if you're so worried about the map, why don't you say 'Accio Map' and be done with it?"  
  
"What if it's all the way across the ocean? I'm not powerful enough to do things like that!"   
  
"How can you say that when you beat our DADA professor at dueling?" Ron said. "Explain this to me."  
  
"Krikor probably thought I wouldn't be able to handle it. He probably was purposely going to let me win." Harry said with a yawn and sat down on his bed. "I'm sure he could beat me."  
  
"You should have seen the look on his face when you won though." Ron said. "I don't think he meant to lose."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"Call the map." Hermione said. "You can do it. Just say "Accio Marauder's Map!" and you'll be able to sleep tonight."  
  
Harry lay down now. "Never mind. I don't want too."  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: I am so sorry I finished this in a rush because, you see, No Reply and I are going for the week and I didn't know Rose was, she doesn't even know I'm posting. But her sister is in the hospital and I have vacations a lot this summer so again, I'm terribly sorry and we'll get you a chapter really quick as soon as we get back. And it'll be the one you've been nagging us for. How James survived! Ta!  
  
  
~ Tadariada ~   
  



	5. Chapter Five

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to my former partner for coming up with most of it a few months ago and also because she's barely even mad at her. Thank you No Reply. You're awesome, I hope you keep writing. And a note to all you reading this story, she did help me come up with the basic plot for this story, never forget. Thanks for reading this!  
  
  
  
  
Jimbo and his wife Daisy were settling down into bed one night, baby Larry already in his crib. Jimbo was just nodding off to sleep when there was a knock on the door. He got out of bed, told Daisy not to get up and went down the stairs. * Probably some late Trick-or- Treaters * he thought tiredly. He opened the door to find the serial killer that had been reported on television last week was standing outside his door….  
  
James turned off the T.V. The stupid Halloween movies were starting to get to repetitive for him. Plus, Harry was in bed and as soon as one of the characters in the movie started to scream he would surely wake up and scream as well. * He certainly has a set of lungs on him too. * James thought with a chuckle. He walked down the hall in the little cabin.  
  
He poked his head in his son's room to find Lilly asleep by the crib with a storybook in her hand. He gently shook her they walked into their room. Both were dead tired, what with Harry yelling, "BOO!" every time a kid rang the door.   
  
Lily collapsed on the bed almost asleep as soon as she hit the pillows. James was nearly as tired, but just then a loud knock sounded at the front door. James said he'd be right back, kissed her on the forehead and went to go answer it, preparing to tell off some immature kids for trick-or treating at eleven at night.   
  
He opened the door. The person in front of him was very tall with a hooded cape covering his face.  
  
"Look, kid, it's 11 o'clock. Go home. I've got a baby in here and he needs his sleep."  
  
"He won't be sleeping tonight, James." Said a low, hollow mocking voice.   
  
James's hand gripped the door handle harder.  
  
"LILY!" He yelled. "It's him! Get Harry and run! Don't worry about me!"  
  
"Pathetic." Voldemort said and laughed. "So you think you'll live to tell about this day, James?"  
  
"RUN! Lily RUN!" James screamed. He drew his wand with a shaky hand, lifted it high in the air and took a deep breath. He then ran into the kitchen, trying to get out the back entrance. Swift as a hawk, Voldemort followed him.   
  
"You'll not win James!" Voldemort said. "EXPELIARMUS!" James watched in horror as his wand floated quickly away from him. "Any last words, Potter?"  
  
"Yes!" James said, his hands groping behind him for something hard. He produced a knife. "I hope you rot!" He chucked the knife at the killer in front of him. It stopped in mid air an inch from Voldemort's heart. It flew back at James and he threw himself out of its path. But the knife followed James's movement. James was running in an odd manner trying to not be pierced by the steak knife.   
  
"Had enough?" Voldemort said with wicked laughter.   
  
James kept running. The knife dropped to the floor. James leaned on the counter to take a breath. He knew he was going to die. He had no wand and Voldemort was almost as powerful as Dumbledore. But if he was going to die, he was going to die fighting. So James grabbed a fork and pitched it at Voldemort.  
  
"Stop playing with utensils, man!" He bellowed. "Avada Kedavra!"  
  
James dodged the blow. The counter blew up. James put his hands over his head to try and save himself from the flying debris. The toaster landed in front of him. He bent over and picked it up and held it high above his head.   
  
Voldemort looked angry and a large fire was now in the kitchen. He was positively shaking when he said, "AVADA KEDAVRA!"  
  
But Voldemort missed, not by much, but he missed. The blow struck the toaster. The toaster gave a great shock and, James, who was still holding it up in the air, slumped to the ground.  
  
Voldemort thought he was dead. "One down, one to go." He walked calmly out of the kitchen and into the master bedroom where his next victim would be.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
James rolled over. Something was burning around him. All around him was fire! He stood up. His head spun. What had just happened? In the distance he heard a baby's cries. So Harry was alive. That was a relief. But what of Lily? He ran down the burning halls of his house and stopped dead in front of the door.   
  
A perfect white arm was flailed on the floor. It was holding a wand delicately. Next to the limp arm was a head of curls.   
  
James went numb. "Lily?" He croaked. "Lily!" He grabbed at the hand that was already getting cold. Tears of hate sprung to his eyes. He rushed into the room and pulled her body up. "Oh Lily…" He said, beginning to cry as he hugged the last bit of warmth out of her body.   
  
He couldn't remember how long he sat there hugging her to him, crying. But the fire was closing in on them. He grabbed Harry and Lily and moved them close to the front hall. He kissed Harry, looked at Lily with a sob and kissed her to before leaving. He threw his cloak off in the kitchen.  
  
The papers would declare them both dead tomorrow. James was dead. He wanted to be dead. Lily was gone. He should be gone to.   
  
With a last look back he ran into the forest.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
13 years later, at the duel between Harry and Voldemort. (A/N: This section is in my words, not J. K. 's so don't get mad when the dialogue is not perfect, okay?)  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
  
Voldemort watched in horror as the boy Cedric and then an old man fell out of his wand. This could not be happening to him! Harry Potter looked just as stunned 10 feet away from him. Lily Potter tumbled out of the wand now.   
  
*Now James will come out. * Voldemort thought, sure that James was dead. His thoughts ran through his body and flooded into his wand.   
  
*Will my father come out now? He's dead. So is Cedric, so is my mother. Surely he will come out now. * Harry thought with a desperate hope. The thought ran through his body and flooded out of his wand and then into Voldemort's through the gold string.   
  
The thoughts combined. Voldemort knew what James looked like, Harry thought he was dead. Voldemort thought he was dead too.   
  
The dueler's wands began to shake more violently as James's head protruded through Voldemort's wand. He was just like Harry had pictured him, just as Voldemort left him. Only this shadow seemed slightly fake, not nearly as solid as the rest.   
  
But nobody noticed. The duel continued and ended shortly. The images disappeared with a little *pop *. All of them, except for the image of James. It faded away.   
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  



	6. Chapter Six

A/N: Hey all. You are great reviewers! I really feel loved with all the reviews. Keep it up!  
  
Peace, Love and Peanut Butter to you all,  
Tadariada  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
  
  
  
Harry made his way down the corridors of Hogwarts, a white towel draped over his shoulder. He was just about to exit the castle (it was a Sunday) when somebody put a hand on his shoulder. Harry half jumped and spun around. Krikor was looking at him oddly.  
  
"Where are you going Harry?"  
  
"Swimming." Harry said flatly.  
  
Krikor's eyes bulged. "In October?"   
  
"Yes." Harry said. "You have a problem?"  
  
"No, but wont you be cold?"  
  
"It's probable…" Harry said with a shrug, "seeing as it is October as you have pointed out earlier."  
  
James made an angry noise in his throat and thought 'what an asshole' before remembering that this was his son.   
  
Harry glared at him as if he had heard James's thoughts. "So if you'll please excuse me, there is a lake waiting for me."   
  
James moved and let him through. Harry opened the door and shivered as the cold air hit his face but walked towards the lake. James shook his head and shut to door behind him. He was almost to the teacher's lounge when he heard a voice.  
  
"Professor Krikor?" It was Hermione Granger. James liked her. She was nice and smart, most likely to be the head girl.   
  
"Yes, Hermione?" He said.  
  
"This is going to sound weird." Ron, who was with her said. "But hear us out. You see him almost more than we do these days."   
  
"What is it you need?"  
  
"Well." Hermione said. "We were wondering if you had seen Harry recently. We can't find him. We thought maybe…"  
  
"Oh yes, I just saw him. He was- he was going swimming."  
  
Ron paled but Hermione looked confused. "Won't that be a little cold? It's October!"  
  
"That's what I told him, but he seemed assured that he would live." James said. "Ron, what wrong. Are you feeling well?"  
  
"You let him go out there? Alone? SWIMMING?" Ron said. James nodded.  
  
"Yes." James said. "What's wrong with that."  
  
"Um…well it is October. The lake will be freezing." Ron said.  
  
"We covered this." Krikor said.   
  
"Let me finish!" Ron said. "The lake will be cold, there is a GIANT SQUID in there and on top of it all HARRY HAS ONLY GONE SWIMMING 3 TIMES IN HIS LIFE!"  
  
"What?" Hermione said. "How do you know?"  
  
"Before the second task, he told me something like 'Ron, I wish this task were something else. I don't swim much. The Dursleys never paid for lessons. I've only gone swimming twice in my life and I've almost drowned both times.'"  
  
"And he had that fishy stuff the last time he went swimming, didn't he?" Hermione said. "So he could breathe underwater."  
  
"I rest my case." Ron said.  
  
"Well let's go!" Hermione yelled and took off down the hall.   
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
Harry looked at the lake uneasily. It was an angry grey color and now the sky was threatening to snow. He shivered and took off his robes to reveal a plain navy blue bathing suit. He poked a toe into the water and brought it back out instantly. He'd be lucky if he didn't get hypothermia from that water.   
  
"If Krum can do it, so can I." Harry said and clenched his fists. He put on a brave, stereotypically Gryffindor like war face and dove in. It was like ice. Harry's blood felt like it was turning cold and he struggled to keep his head above water. He swam, a little clumsily and quite slowly, but it was swimming and Harry felt proud of himself.   
  
He went under water for a while and then, when he reached something hard under his foot he rocketed upwards and broke through into the air.   
  
'Hey!' Harry thought with a rare smile, 'this is really fun!' And went back under the water to repeat the action. For a few minutes he just bobbed. And then as he grabbed a breath of air before going quickly under again he heard shouts of his name.   
  
Slightly curious, Harry came up to the surface slowly and looked. Ron, Hermione, Professor Krikor, McGonagall, Madame Pomfrey, Ginny, and Sirius were all yelling at him. Harry flipped onto his back and swam around.  
  
"Harry get out of there!" Hermione screamed.  
  
"W-why?" Harry called back. His voice broke because he was so cold. This seemed to worry the little crowd even more.  
  
"You can't swim!" Ron roared.   
  
"Harry!" Madame Pomfrey said. "You'll get hypothermia!"  
  
"It's easily c-cured." Harry said, trying not to stutter with the cold. "I-I'm sure you've t-treated it before."  
  
Professor Krikor had his chance now. "Harold Potter, if you do not die of hypothermia, surely you will die of a Grindylow attacking you without your wand. And the mermaids could get you too. And so could the-"  
  
"Oh a-all of y- y-you!" Harry yelled. "I'm a b-b-big boy now! I c-c-c-c-c-c-can handle swimming in a b-bit of c-cold water."  
  
"Please come out Harry!" Ginny looked like she was going to cry.  
  
"You aren't proving anything by doing this you know, Harry?" Ron yelled.  
  
"You're only worrying your friends!" Krikor added. "Good point Ron. Harry we all know you're brave. Come out of the water!"  
  
"C-can't a guy swim anymore without g-getting yelled a-at?" Harry asked. "I d-don't want to p-prove anything. I j-just wanted to swim!"  
  
"As the head of your house I ORDER you to come out of there, Potter." McGonagall said.   
  
"No." Harry yelled back.  
  
"I'll kick you off the Quidditch team!" She said.  
  
Harry blanched. "Just for swimming?"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
Harry made a noise in his throat. "This is m-mad!" He was going to start swimming in when a big wave hit him full in the face. Harry swallowed some water and gasped for breath as he went under. He panicked and swam up to the surface and grabbed a breath when another wave came up. It was raining. Harry didn't know how to tread water. He was going to die, die, die.   
  
The thought scared him so he kicked extra hard to try and keep above water. But try as he might he kept getting knocked under. Every time he came up for breath he heard screaming. A large wave was heading for him again. He gave up and let it hit him. He began to sink. His eyes bulged in the icy water as something large wrapped a tentacle around him and then he was suddenly on the shore of the lake coughing and wheezing for breath.   
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
Harry was sick. Ten heavy wool blankets were placed on top of Harry and hot bricks were on top of the blankets. As it happened, there wasn't a magical cure for hypothermia as he soon learned. So he sat shivering in his blankets, drinking hot butterbeer and tea.   
  
"You're the first person in 500 years to get hypothermia." Madame Pomfrey told him one day.   
  
"H-how did the last person get it?" Harry asked, teeth chattering.  
  
"It says in the records we keep that a boy about your age was taking a hike in the mountains for his Hogsmeade day and a blizzard came in an buried him."  
  
"Oh." Harry said. "A-am I almost cured?"  
  
"No." Madame Pomfrey said sadly. "Maybe in a few days. But we're having problems getting a hold of Muggle formulas for this sickness."  
  
There was a knock on the door.  
  
"Who is it?" Madame Pomfrey asked.   
  
"Ron and Hermione."  
  
"Is that dog with you?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I don't want the mutt in here!" Madame Pomfrey said. "It's not hygienic!"   
  
"He's not dirty." Came Hermione's voice. "Please, Madam Pomfrey?"  
  
"This place will be the death of me!" Madam Pomfrey said quietly and opened the door.  
  
Ron, Hermione and Sirius rushed in.  
  
"Hey Harry." Ron said. "How're you feeling?"  
  
"C-cold." Harry said. Madame Pomfrey promptly came over to Harry with another blanket in her arms.   
  
"But you're sweating bullets." Hermione said. "And this room is stifling."  
  
"We're trying to sweat out the fever." Madam Pomfrey said peevishly. "He should be back in school within the - month."  
  
"Month?" All three students said in disbelief.   
  
"Well it's not Hypothermia anymore, I think." She said thoughtfully. "Because that should have cleared up easily enough. But this is taking a while for him to get over."  
  
Harry coughed.  
  
"You shouldn't have gone swimming." Hermione said to Harry.  
  
"I w-would have been fine if it hadnt started to rain." Harry coughed again. Hermione's stern face melted away.  
  
"You poor thing." Hermione soothed. "Are you still cold?"  
  
"Y-yes." Harry said. "But don't get the matron. She'll just give me more of that awful potion."  
  
"It's probably good for you." Hermione pointed out.  
  
"I'd rather be sick for the rest of my life than to drink more of that."  
  
"Madam Pomfrey?" Ron said. "Harry wants more of that potion stuff."  
  
Harry glared at Ron as Madame Pomfrey came to Harry and lifted the goblet full of the stuff to his mouth. He forced himself to smile at her. She pat his head and left. Harry promptly made a gagging noise.   
  
"Someday I will find the -r- r- recipe for that crap and shove it down your throat R-" Harry coughed and then groaned like a person who's about to throw up. "Ugh, I f-feel t-terrible."  
  
"Harry, we've got to go to lunch now." Hermione said. "Hope to see you soon okay?"  
  
"Bye." Harry said. They left and Harry collapsed on the bed. Madam Pomfrey came over to Harry to check his pulse.  
  
"No more visitors!" She said. "You'll only loose energy!"  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
"Now- sleep for heaven's sake!"  
  
Harry closed his eyes.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*   
  
"Did you see him?" Ginny asked.  
  
"Yes." Hermione said.  
  
"Did he say anything about me?"  
  
"Yes." Hermione lied. "He wanted me to say hi to you."  
  
Ginny squealed. "Hermione, are you serious?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Oh! I'm in love!"  
  
Hermione smiled weakly and nodded. What was she getting Harry into?  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
"Harry." Hermione hissed.   
  
Harry yawned and shifted positions in the hospital bed. "Five more minutes, Aunt Petunia," he said into his pillow.  
  
"I am not your aunt!" Hermione said quietly but sharply.   
  
"Sorry Dudley." Harry said. "You kind of sound like a woman."  
  
"Harry, wake up!" Hermione said. "I need to talk to you!"  
  
Harry yawned and looked at her. "Hi." He said. "Is my Aunt here?"  
  
"No, thank god."  
  
"I thought she was."  
  
"It was just me."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Are you disappointed?" Hermione screeched.   
  
"Not overly." Harry said. "But you wanted to talk to me?"  
  
"Yes." Hermione sat down in a business like manner. "It's about Ginny."  
  
"What about her? Is she okay?"  
  
"Yes, of course she's okay." Hermione said. "Harry, who do you like?"  
  
"I like everybody." Harry said. "Except every Slytherin in existence."  
  
"Not like that, Harry." Hermione rolled her eyes. "I meant, who do you have a crush on?"  
  
Harry blushed. "Why should I tell you?"  
  
"Because I'm you're best friend that's a girl!"  
  
"Well, I can't tell you that."  
  
"Why not? Are you embarrassed?"  
  
"I'm not embarrassed now." Harry said. "But if you told somebody who I liked, I would be embarrassed then."  
  
"I won't tell a soul."  
  
"Oh, Hermione, do I have too?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I thought we were talking about Ginny." Harry said. Hermione noted a certain blush that crept over his face when he said her name.  
  
"We'll get back to her in a minute." Hermione said silkily, trying to conceal a smile. "So. Answer the question."  
  
"But I don't-"  
  
"Just tell me!"  
  
"But you'll tell Ron and I'll NEVER hear the end of it." Harry said.  
  
"I swear on my honor, I won't tell him."  
  
"But you'll laugh at me!"  
  
"I will not."  
  
"You will too!"   
  
"JUST ANSWER THE QUESTION!"  
  
Harry looked taken aback. Hermione looked murderous so he muttered a name in a squeak.  
  
Hermione grinned.  
  
"I knew it!" She cried and gave Harry a hug. "Oh this is just perfect!"  
  
Harry glared at her.  
  
"Wait until I tell Ginny! She'll just DIE…"  
  
Harry held up a finger. "You said you wouldn't tell anybody."  
  
Hermione looked at him like he was crazy. "But Harry, you like Ginny and she likes you! Ask her out!"  
  
"DO YOU HAVE TO SAY THAT SO LOUD?" Harry said. "I DON'T WANT THE WHOLE WORLD KNOWING THAT I HAVE A CRUSH ON GINNY!" He clapped a hand over his mouth and sunk into his bed.  
  
"It's a lucky thing that nobody else is in here, Harry." Hermione said and winked. "Or you'd be screwed."  
  
Harry glared at her some more.   
  
"You won't tell her, will you?" Harry said. "I don't even know if I want to date her."  
  
"Why's that?"  
  
"I don't want to find out that she's just an instant flame."  
  
"Instant flame?"  
  
"You know, Hermione. Instant flames are momentary. They die out."  
  
"Good metaphor."  
  
"Thank you." Harry said.  
  
"But you do like her, don't you?"  
  
"Well." Harry admitted. "I think so. I've been thinking about her a lot lately."  
  
"Tell her that sometime. It'll melt her heart."  
  
"I will."  
  
"When?"  
  
"When I get out of here, maybe?" Harry said. "But I'm feeling better today. Will you mention to Pomfrey how healthy I look when you leave? I want to get out of here."  
  
Hermione chuckled. "Of course." She kissed Harry's cheek in a friendly way and moved to the door. "See you Harry."  
  
"Bye Hermione!"  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
  
Harry was back in classes the next week. He hadnt missed too much thanks to Ron and Hermione helping with his homework. Hermione had kept her promise about not telling Ginny and Harry was grateful for it. But soon, he would tell her. He had a good feeling she wasn't an instant flame now.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
  
  
  
  



	7. Chapter Seven

Harry walked out of the hospital wing with Ron and Hermione spotting him. The fever had made him quite weak. They made their way down into the common room where Harry collapsed onto a couch from exhaustion. The stairs were quite a climb.   
  
"I really wish I had the Marauders Map!" Harry complained.  
  
"Why?" Hermione asked fairly.  
  
"Because there is something up with Krikor. I know he's not who he seems."  
  
"You're paranoid." Ron said.   
  
"Am not." Harry said. "Come on. He's just a little to - ugh! I don't know. I feel like I know him from somewhere."   
  
"Paranoid." Ron said. "Definitely paranoid."  
  
"Ron, come on, doesn't he seem familiar to you?"  
  
"Nope." Ron said. "You're freaking out, Harry."  
  
"I swear!" Harry said. "Hermione, what about you? Isn't he familiar?"  
  
"Not really." Hermione said. "He reminds me of you sometimes, though."  
  
"That is not funny!" Harry said. "That's cruel!"  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
"All students staying for Christmas please come sign the sheet!" McGonagall said from the portrait hole. Harry noticed rather sadly that he was the only Gryffindor staying this year. He signed the sheet and walked back to his seat.   
  
"Sorry Harry." Ron said later that night in bed. "I would stay here, but mum wants me home for once this Christmas. And she wanted you to come, but Dumbledore wouldn't let you."  
  
Harry grunted and said it was okay and fell asleep. He could survive a Christmas alone.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
Harry walked around the deserted corridors a week later. It was lonely now with everybody gone. His homework was done and he'd made up all his homework he hadnt turned in. He'd even finished all and any extra credit he had been given. And now, Harry was bored. "Flying with the Cannons" was getting rather old after six times of reading it. The librarian was on holiday so he couldn't check out a new book either.   
  
All he could think of was Ron and Hermione and Ginny and how much fun they must be having with their families. Not for the first time in his life, he wished his parents were still alive.   
  
He went back into the common room and sat by the fire. Even Sirius had found a place to be over the holidays. Never Had Hogwarts felt so empty. McGonagall was visiting her sister, Krikor had left last night to "visit friends" which Harry highly doubted and even Snape had gone to visit his mother.   
  
With the students mostly gone and most of the staff away too it made a lonely vacation. He sat for hours thinking about the Mirror of Erised in his first year, wishing for the one thing he didn't have.  
  
And then Harry would find himself wandering the halls again. Tonight he was by the dungeons. Malfoy walked by, smirking.  
  
"Ah, Potter, sulking again?" He said.  
  
"Piss of Malfoy." Harry said and kept walking.   
  
Malfoy glared and walked on. Harry got an urge to run up behind him and tackle him, but he fought it and moved away.   
  
Christmas came and Harry woke up late in the morning. He ripped open his presents quickly. He got a Weasley Sweater (with a H on it) a box of chocolate frogs from Hermione, a bag of Bertie Botts from Ron a galleon from the twins a few cakes and a leather wand case from Hagrid and an I.O.U one present from Sirius. And then there was two presents left. Well, cards actually. A singing card from Ginny (Harry listened to it one and then put it under a pitcher of water) and when Harry opened the next card he did not find what he expected. It was the Marauder's Map- folded up neatly. Harry grinned to himself and turned it on.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*   
  
Harry slipped out of the common room at midnight looking at the map intently. He had no intention in running into a teacher. In a free hand he held a small can of laughing gas. His thoughts were directed towards the Slytherin Common Room where Malfoy and his goons were sitting.   
  
*This will be the greatest prank of all time! * Harry thought gleefully to himself. *Malfoy will never know what's hitting him! *  
  
He quickened his pace. He didn't want to catch them when they were sleeping!  
  
Suddenly Harry ran into something quite solid. Harry looked up and jumped.  
  
It was Krikor.  
  
"Who's here?" He said, stretching his arms out forward. "I know an invisibility cloak when I feel one. Go on, speak up!"  
  
Harry tried not to breathe to loudly. He walked away slowly. He looked at the Map. But Krikor was not on the map.  
  
'James Potter' was.   
  
Harry blanched. The laughing gas can fell out of his hand. "Oh shit!" Harry said breathlessly and ran away as fast as he could.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
Ron and Hermione were starting to get used to Harry's new attitude, but when they saw him after Christmas Break they knew something was really wrong now. Of course they had heard the rumors about a suicide attempt and they knew he was still not over the third task. But this looked much different. The look on his face was confusion and sadness.  
  
"What's up Harry?"   
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Something's the matter." Ron said, looking suddenly catlike. "Soon, Harry Potter (that's you) will disappear for about a day, go fight You-Know-Who and then be knocked out for five days in the hospital wing."  
  
"What?" Harry and Hermione said.  
  
"Well that's what happens every time you look like that." Ron said with a shrug. "But we haven't decoded messages, broken into offices or done anything mysterious this year so I guess I'll just shut up now."  
  
"Good plan." Harry said. He got up and sat down next to Lavender. "Hey."  
  
"Hey!"   
  
Hermione watched as they began flirting shamelessly. He must have moved on from Ginny, Hermione thought sadly. They could have been good for each other.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
  
"Harry do you have a girlfriend?" Hermione asked one day at breakfast. Harry nearly choked out his Cornflakes.  
  
"If I did, you of all people would know." Harry said.  
  
"Well I was just wondering because you and Lavender spend an awful lot of time together these days."  
  
"Can't we be friends?"  
  
"With benefits or something?"   
  
"You don't know what you're talking about." Harry said.  
  
"Wow, touchy."  
  
"You know what?" Harry said. "You should shut up. Better yet: I'll leave." And he did just that.   
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
"Harry." James said. "Please stay after class. I'd like to discuss your grade with you."  
  
"I know what my grade is, and so does everybody else in this class." Harry said. "I have an A+. This is my best subject. I'm acing my tests and I'm turning in my homework. You don't need to talk to me."  
  
"Well now I'd rather discuss your attitude problem."  
  
A rustle off voices went through the class. Everybody stared at him.  
  
"No." Harry said. "I don't want to be that close to you. You could make me sick."  
  
"That was a pathetic comeback." James said bluntly.  
  
"Seriously though. Every time I even think about you I just want to throw up."  
  
"Leave my classroom."  
  
Harry looked heavenward. "Maybe there is a god." He left. He turned the corner to go up the staircase and saw Cho Chang. She smiled at him.  
  
"Hey Harry." She said and walked down toward him. "I haven't talked to you in a while."  
  
"You just saw me in breakfast 20 minutes ago." Harry said. "And you said hi then too."  
  
"I missed you."   
  
"You what?"  
  
"Missed you."   
  
She was awfully close to Harry now.  
  
"Okay." Harry said. "Can't say I missed you much but-"  
  
"Don't talk." She said and kissed him hard on the lips. Harry froze completely. There was a sudden flash of purple light. Harry regained his senses and pushed her off him. He spun around and saw a person with a camera running away.  
  
"You took a picture of that?"  
  
"Have to tell my parents what I'm doing at school." She said, kissed him on the cheek and walked away.  
  
Harry stood there sputtering until the classes let out.   
  
Ron looked at him. "Now you are dazed. What is with you?"  
  
"Cho kissed me." Harry said. "For no reason. And somebody took a picture of it."  
  
"You're getting scammed. You'd better watch your moves Harry." Hermione said. "I'll bet you it was a reporter."  
  
"Probably." Harry said. "Damn them."  
  
"Now let's not get all uppity about them." Said a voice. Harry looked around to see Krikor.  
  
"You- you stay away from me." Harry said shakily.   
  
"Harry!" Hermione hissed.  
  
Krikor looked concerned. "What's wrong Harry?" He reached out an arm on instinct.  
  
"Don't touch me!" Harry said a little loudly and backed away. "I-I mean that!"  
  
"Harry what's gotten into you?" Ron hissed. "You're talking to a TEACHER."  
  
"Sorry Professor." Hermione said. "I think he may still be feverish. Come on Harry, let's go…you can take your medicine."  
  
Harry let himself be pushed away and down the hall.  
  
"Are you crazy?" Ron burst out. "You'll get yourself into a lot of trouble acting like that."  
  
"With who?" Harry said.  
  
"Krikor!" Hermione said. "He'll give you detention."  
  
"He won't come near to that. He wouldn't dare." Harry said.   
  
"Oh and why is that?" Hermione said. "He didn't spare Malfoy last week. Why should he spare you?"  
  
"I just know, okay?" Harry said. "I'll be in the dorms and if anybody asks say that I have a migraine."  
  
He stormed off and went to the dorms, as he said he would. He lay down on his bed and took out the Marauder's Map. He turned it on and watched the little dot labeled "James Potter" walk around a classroom.   
  
Harry had the sudden urge to rip up the map. He didn't, of course, but it was a very near thing. How he wanted to get the truth out from that teacher. He wanted to walk into to his office, give him a good punch in the stomach and ask him what the deal was.   
  
But he couldn't. For once, Harry Potter's famed courage failed him. He could not pull himself off that bed. He knew he should. He wanted to. Only he had a sickening feeling in his stomach and he could smell fire behind his eyes. He blinked away his tears and sat up.   
  
He needed to tell somebody. But he didn't want to tell Ron and Hermione, they'd just flip. Harry thought for a while. Somebody he could trust. Somebody who would listen. But who?  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
(For people under 11, please stop reading now. This will not give you a good impression.)  
~* ~* ~* ~*   
  
Harry sauntered into potions class looking slightly dazed. He was a half an hour late. Snape barked at him, but Harry just smiled oddly and sat down between Ron and Hermione.  
  
"Where have you been?" Hermione hissed. Harry turned and looked at her. She scrunched up her nose. "And what have you been drinking? You smell."  
  
"Well." Harry said and held up a finger dramatically, as if proving a point. "I was, in fact, cutting class."  
  
"You were?" Ron said. "Why?"   
  
"I was having a nice conversation with Jack Daniels, actually."  
  
"Who?" Ron asked.  
  
Hermione looked horrified. "Harry Potter!"  
  
"Yes'm?" Harry said. His voice was on a roller coaster, going up and down.   
  
"Who is Jack Daniels?" Ron wondered.  
  
"It's a brand of whisky." Hermione said.  
  
Ron looked slightly shocked now. "Are you serious?"  
  
"Potter, Granger, Weasley! Are you paying attention?"  
  
"Yes, sir." Hermione said.  
  
"Yes." Said Ron. "Sorry."  
  
"Nope." Said Harry. "I actually find your lessons rather boring."  
  
"Would you care to repeat that?" Snape asked and walked towards him. The class held their breath. Even the Slytherins looked afraid for Harry.  
  
"I would, but you see, I can't seem to remember what I said." Harry laughed.  
  
"Shut up, shut up!" Hermione muttered.  
  
"Potter, first you come in late to my class, now you insult my lessons. Anything else you wish to say?" Snape asked, just daring him to put another foot out of line.  
  
"I think your hair is rather oily." Harry proclaimed. He shoed Snape out of his face. "You should brush your teeth too."  
  
"Out of my classroom!" Snape said. "50 points taken away from Gryffindor! LEAVE! Before I make it more!"  
  
"What?" Harry said. "I could figure out what you were saying if I wasn't so drunk."  
  
Hermione rested her hear on the table and the class burst out laughing.  
  
"LEAVE!"  
  
"Touchy." Harry said and left. He was walking lopsided down the hall running into various paintings and suits of armor, drunkenly trying to find the common room.   
  
And then, not for the first time, he smashed into a something.   
  
"Sorry about that." Harry said. "I'll pay any medical bills." He wandered on.  
  
"Wait." Said a voice. Harry turned around and seeing James he sobered up quickly.  
  
"What do you want?" Harry asked.  
  
"Just to talk with you." James said. "Look, I don't have a class at the moment and you are obviously having an interesting day. Do you want to talk?"  
  
"Uh…." Harry said. "I don't know."  
  
"Just come in." James said, motioning to his office. Harry followed him for some reason unknown to him and sat in a chair.   
  
"What do you want to talk about?" Harry asked.   
  
"How about you?" James said. Harry found this slightly odd but decided to think about it later when his brain was functioning normally.  
  
"What about me?"  
  
"Just talk."  
  
"Um okay. Well I grew up with my Aunt and Uncle because my parents died in a car crash- I mean they were murdered. You knew that, probably. And then I came here. That's it."  
  
"That's all?"  
  
"Yes, that's all." Harry said. "I think I'm going to leave now. Dorm room ho!"  
  
"Wait!"  
  
Harry stopped. "What?"  
  
"I'm not done with you!"  
  
"But I want to leave!"  
  
"Harry." James said. "Come here."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Just come here."  
  
"K-doke." Harry said and walked towards the teacher.  
  
"Breathe."   
  
Harry did so.  
  
"You're drunk!" James accused.  
  
"Is this the immediate problem or are you just beating around the bush?" Harry said.  
  
"Why do you always do this?"  
  
"Why do you care?" Harry asked, suddenly remembering his hatred for this lying man.  
  
"Because- I just wish you came with a guarantee."  
  
"If you want a guarantee- well- buy a toaster!" Harry said. "I'm leaving."  
  
James sputtered as his son stormed out of his office.  
  
"Hey! Wait!"  
  
"Stop telling me to wait." Harry said. "It's getting old."  
  
"Harry, come here."  
  
"Why?" Harry said. "I don't like you. I don't want to talk to you. I don't want to be anywhere near you."  
  
"Why do you hate me so much?" James burst out. "I haven't done anything to you."  
  
Harry began to chuckle. And then he stopped laughing abruptly. "Don't talk."  
  
"What?"  
  
Harry narrowed his eyes. "So you want to know why I hate you?"  
  
"Yes, as a matter of fact I do."  
  
"It's simple." Harry said icily. "I know what you are."  
  
And he stalked off down the hall.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: Ahh! What a chapter! Special thanks to No Reply and Seeker_2000. You guys are awesome.   



	8. Chapter Eight (AKA: Mission Impossible)

A/N: OMG guys, I can't believe I wrote that last chapter. I have a terrible case of writers block now as a result so if this chapter seems constipated, please forgive me. I'm trying my hardest.   
  
~ Tad ~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Harry, what are you doing?" Hermione asked at dinner. "The whole school is talking about you and Krikor. What did you do after you got kicked out of Snape's class?"  
  
"I accidentally ran into the bastard and talked with him a little bit before I remembered that I hated him, told him so and left." Harry said, bitter once again.  
  
"Harry, stop telling him that." Hermione said. "It's really rude."  
  
"He's rude too."  
  
"What did he do?" Ron asked. Personally, Ron really liked Krikor. He was nice.  
  
Harry just stared down at his meatloaf. If only they knew they'd understand.  
  
'Then tell them!' said his annoying inner voice. Harry told it to piss off and remained silent for the rest of the night.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
"Ooh I want to hit him!" Hermione said later that night after Harry had gone to bed.  
  
"We all do." Seamus said. "He's being a real dick lately."  
  
"What is his problem?" Lavender said. "I haven't noticed anything."  
  
"Well that's because you are a blonde. You don't always notice things like that." Parvati said with innocence. Lavender nodded and said she agreed.  
  
"Ron, you're his best friend. Surely he's told you something!" Dean said.   
  
"Nope." Ron said. "Nothing. Hasn't said a word about anything."  
  
"Nothing?"  
  
"I think our conversations consist of Hello's and Good bye's." Ron said. "He's really an introvert lately."  
  
"Big word." Seamus said. "Please explain the big word."  
  
"He's keeping to himself." Hermione explained.  
  
"You've been hanging out with her to much." Dean whispered into Ron's ear. He shrugged.  
  
"Well he's still upset about the third task." Hermione said. "That's obvious. But there has got to be something else."  
  
"Like what?" Parvati said.  
  
"Maybe it has something to do with Krikor." Neville suggested. "I mean the guy obviously did SOMETHING to him."  
  
"Good point." Hermione said. "But what?"  
  
"I have officially got a headache." Seamus proclaimed. "I'm going to bed."  
  
"Okay."  
  
They continued the conversation. After much talking they came up with a plan.  
  
Lavender would try to get stuff out of Harry with some flirtatious behavior. Neville would try to listen in to Harry's conversations with other people if he could. Ron and Hermione would follow Krikor and see if he did anything suspicious. Parvati, Dean and Seamus would buddy- buddy up to Harry and see if he would budge.  
  
It should have worked perfectly.  
  
(A/N: please note that it SHOULD have worked perfectly.)  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
Lavender sat next to Harry in divination the next day, leaning over the crystal ball, pretending to be confused.  
  
"Harry? Will you help me with this? I can't seem to understand it." She said and stuck her lower lip out.  
  
"You know how to do this better than the bat teaching this class, Lavender." Harry said. "And I've never seen anything in these balls except my own reflection."  
  
"And what a reflection it is too." Lavender said silkily.  
  
Harry choked. "W-what?"  
  
"Nothing, nothing." Lavender said. "I was just thinking…oh never mind." She flipped her hair over her shoulder and smiled at him.  
  
Harry cleared his throat and shifted in his chair.   
  
"Harry what goes through that mind of yours?" She asked and traced his jaw line.   
  
"What do you mean?" Harry said, tensing up.  
  
"Well you're so quiet lately. I can't help wondering."  
  
"I'm not quiet." Harry said. "I just don't have anything to say."  
  
Lavender scooted over closer to him. Harry wasn't aware that every Gryffindor was staring at them.  
  
"I don't believe you." Lavender whispered, now quite close. Professor Trelawney stopped making tea to watch them. "I think you have a lot you could say. Couldn't you?"  
  
"I suppose-" Lavender's heart leaped as Harry leaned in. And just as their lips were about to press together, he backed off. "But we'll finish our conversation later."  
  
Lavender had to take a few calming breaths, but Harry didn't seem to notice. He just glanced at the two crystal balls on the table. Professor Trelawney took her chance and swept down next to the two.  
  
"May I take a look at your balls?" She asked.  
  
The entire class burst out laughing except Harry who looked very embarrassed. Professor Trelawney took no notice of the students and grabbed the closest globe.  
  
"Oh how interesting." She said. "Very interesting."  
  
"What is it Professor?" Lavender said, sensing the answer.  
  
"I see a romance budding with you Mr. Potter." She said. "But I cannot seem to see the person with. Only that it is a woman your age…"  
  
Harry looked out the window at this point. Lavender was giggling with Parvati on the pouf next to theirs.   
  
How he hated this class.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
Lavender sat next to Harry in Care of Magical Creatures too. She was good at this flirting business. But he was better.  
  
"Harry, I was thinking about what happened in Divination and I just wanted to tell you that-"  
  
"I know," Harry said. "I was completely out of line."  
  
"Certainly not." Lavender said. "I was wishing you would have finished that sentence. I really am interested."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I already told you." She said and grabbed a watering can and began to water the giant snapper plant they were growing. "You are quiet lately, and you usually are so interesting anyways. The silence makes me wonder. I want you to put my wonders to rest."  
  
"Your- wonders?" Harry said.  
  
"Well, one cant help thinking about you." She said and looked up to him.  
  
"They cant?" Harry said, slightly dazed.   
  
"Nope." She gently touched his nose.   
  
"Well I wonder about you too." Harry said and looked away for a moment.  
  
"Really?" Lavender said.  
  
"Of course." Harry said. "You're so charming that sometimes we can't help but wonder."  
  
Lavender's voice faltered as she said, "Oh really?"  
  
"Really." Harry said.  
  
Suddenly Professor Sprout walked by. She stopped when she saw them.  
  
"The students are starting to complain." She said primly.  
  
"Complain?" Lavender said. "Whatever about?"  
  
"It's the air." She said icily. "With you two acting like that it's just too darn sweet to breathe." She smiled falsely and walked away.  
  
The pair watched her move to Ron and Hermione who were working together. Then they looked at each other and burst out laughing.   
  
Lavender smiled to herself that night. She had him in her hand. If only he didn't have her in his hand the situation would be perfect.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
Lavender trailed after Harry the entire next day.   
  
"And so if you just say that charm," Harry said to her during DADA. She had asked for help during the lesson. He was happy to provide. "The demon won't haunt you anymore. Do you think you have it now?"  
  
"Oh, I get it perfectly." Lavender said. "You are a wonderful person to go to for help. Have you ever considered teaching?"  
  
"Nah." Harry said. "I wouldn't have the patience."  
  
"I think you would be brilliant."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
James eyed the two in the back row with suspicion. Lavender, one of his favorite students was getting awfully close to his son. He hadnt talked to Harry since there last * happy * visit. In fact, he was avoiding it. James hadnt worked it out in his head how Harry could have known. Maybe he didn't know. Maybe he thought that his teacher was a Death Eater. It was always possible.  
  
But at the moment Harry was not paying attention to the lesson and neither was Lavender. It was his duty as a teacher to call them on it.   
  
"I'm so glad you know all of this so you don't have to listen." James said. "Miss Brown, Mr. Potter would you two like to come up here and finish the lesson off for me?"  
  
Lavender gulped and shook her head.  
  
"Oh, but Professor, I just simply couldn't do that to your pride." Harry said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well, I figure you might get mad if my fellow students walked out of hear having actually learned something." Harry said. Krikor opened his mouth to shout something at him but Harry held up a hand. "Wait- save your breath, I'll leave."  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
Lavender sat next to Harry at dinner but she couldn't find anything to say really. So she just kind of stared at him, every once in a while nodding.   
  
Finally she couldn't take it anymore. "I think what you said to Professor Krikor today was very out of line."  
  
"Nah." Harry said. He wasn't eating much, she noticed. "He deserved it."  
  
"Why?" She asked. "He's my favorite teacher."  
  
"He's my least favorite." Harry said. "He's to damn nosy."  
  
"Nosy?" She said. "All he wants to do is get to know you."  
  
"Nosy."  
  
"Well I want to get to know you too." She said. "Would you call me nosy?"  
  
That shut Harry up.  
  
"I didn't think so." She said. "Now, why don't you come up to the teacher's table with me and we can apologize to him."  
  
"I don't really want-"He said, but she had gotten up. So he had no choice but to get up and follow her.   
  
She marched strait up to James and tapped him on the shoulder.  
  
"We've came to say we're sorry about the lesson today." She said. "DIDN'T we HARRY."  
  
Harry coughed and looked away. She elbowed him.  
  
"Sorry." He grunted.  
  
James grinned. "Apology accepted. Just don't let it happen again."  
  
"Sure thing." Lavender said. "Thanks Professor." And she turned on her heel and walked away. Harry followed her sheepishly. Malfoy snickered as Harry walked by.  
  
"Whhhh-chhhh! You are so totally whipped." Malfoy said and smirked.  
  
"Piss off Malfoy." Harry said. "At least the girls are interested in me."  
  
Lavender and Harry sat back down at the table.  
  
"What makes you think I'm interested in you?" Lavender said.  
  
"You've been paying attention to me all day." Harry said. "You've got to be slightly interested in something, although what that might be is a mystery to me…"  
  
"You've got me pinned!" Lavender giggled.  
  
Hermione and Ron watched in disgust.  
  
"God, she does her work well." Ron said. "He's totally hooked."  
  
"So is she." Hermione said. "Lavender has had a crush on Harry since she saw him on the train here."  
  
"Do you think she's getting anything out of him?" Ron asked.   
  
"I hope so."  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
Harry had gone to bed early that night. The rest of the fifth years gathered around Lavender.  
  
"So? What did he tell you?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Not to much." Lavender said. "All I know is that he's got it in for poor Krikor. That man does not deserve that type of punishment from him. But I don't know why he doesn't like him.  
  
"I heard a rumor today." Neville said suddenly.  
  
"About?" Parvati asked.  
  
"Well I was listening to the teachers conversation today after lunch because, you know-"  
  
"Snape made you do detention in the staff room, we know. Keep going." Lavender said.  
  
"Well, Krikor said that over the holidays somebody was wandering the halls one night under an invisibility cloak and that that person ran into him accidentally and dropped a bottle of laughing gas. And then Krikor said that the person, he was sure it was a boy, said, "oh shit" and ran away, leaving the bottle behind."  
  
"And you suspect it was Harry." Seamus said.  
  
"Who else has an invisibility cloak in this school?" Hermione said. "Thank you Neville. So I'm guess Harry saw something about Krikor that Krikor didn't want anybody to see. Maybe Harry like hates him for a reason. But what is it?"  
  
"By Jove, you've given me another headache." Seamus said. "Goodnight!"   
  
"D'you think Krikor's like a Death Eater or something?" Lavender said.  
  
"Don't say that!" Ron said.  
  
"Sorry." Lavender said. "But what else would make Harry that antsy around a teacher?"  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
"Harry." Ron said. Harry stopped flirting with Lavender and looked up from breakfast.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Why do you hate Krikor? Can you please give us a strait answer for once?"  
  
Harry thought for a moment and then told a lie. Well maybe it was just not the whole truth. "I don't think I hate him. I think he just annoys me a lot. He just bugs the crap out of me. And he puts up with all my shit so it's actually kind of like a sport with him. I get to push all his nerves until he kicks me out of class."  
  
"Oh." Ron said. "So he's not a Death Eater or a Zombie or something like that… right?"  
  
"Zombie?" Harry choked. He'd never thought of that. He regained composure. " I really hope not. And for Death Eater? If he was a Death Eater, I'd already be dead."  
  
"Oh well that's nice." Lavender said.  
  
"Oh but isn't it?" Harry said, going back to her. Ron looked at Hermione and shrugged.  
  
"So he just bugs the crap out of Harry." Hermione said. "We did all those late night discussions for nothing."  
  
"It seems so." Seamus said and sighed.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
"I've got to go talk to Krikor." Hermione declared. "I do not understand this essay. How can we write about the physical characteristics of a Comber if they are invisible?"  
  
"I'll come with you." Ron said.  
  
"I'm staying." Harry proclaimed.  
  
"Please do. Krikor's suffered through enough." Hermione said. They left.  
  
"So are we really going to ask Krikor the question?" Ron asked.  
  
"Of course." Hermione said. Krikor's office was very close to the common room so after a short walk they found themselves at his door.   
  
Ron raised his hand to knock on his door, but Hermione held him back. If you listened closely, voices could be heard.  
  
"I think he may be on to me." They heard a man say. It sounded like Krikor, only somehow different.   
  
"How could that be?"  
  
"I don't know. But the other day he said…" He mumbled something the two couldn't hear.  
  
"He said THAT?" Dumbledore said. "Well James, that's pretty serious."  
  
Hermione turned to look at Ron. "James?" She mouthed.  
  
"I know." Krikor said. "But he's never liked me. I'm pretty sure he just thinks I'm a Zombie or a Death Eater. I don't think he's quite skeptical enough to think I was his father."  
  
"That's true." Dumbledore said. "He wouldn't be looking out for his father to be alive like he would for Death Eaters trying to kill him."  
  
"So you think my secret is still safe?" Krikor/James said.   
  
"James Potter, I hid your identity so well that I'm sure it's safe." Dumbledore said. "Nobody suspects a thing. I'm positive."  
  
Ron and Hermione looked at each other. Ron mouthed "holy shit". They took a long walk.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
  
"Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god." Hermione said, chewing at her fingers.  
  
"What are we going to do?" Ron said, pacing in front to the doors that led inside.   
  
"Ron, we should tell him."  
  
"He wouldn't believe us!"  
  
"You're right. Oh damn it. This is so bad!"  
  
"Hermione!" Ron said. "You cussed! That's amazing!"  
  
"That doesn't matter!" Hermione said. "Harry's FATHER is alive. He's right here in this castle and he doesn't know it."  
  
The doors opened. Hermione screamed.  
  
"Good evening you two." Krikor said. "Have you seen Harry around?"  
  
"What do you want with him?" Ron asked venomously.  
  
"I wanted to see if he could duel me. I've been feeling rather stupid, losing to him."  
  
"Well he's busy. Doing his homework. In the common room." Hermione said. "And plus do you think he would consent to dueling with you?"  
  
"Probably not, but it was certainly worth a shot." He shrugged and smiled. "Good night to you."  
  
"Professor?" Hermione called after him. "Wait! I have a question about the assignment. How can we describe a demon we can't see?"  
  
"You can't." Krikor said. "That's the point. If people pay attention in my class they don't have to do much homework."  
  
"Oh." Hermione said. "Thanks."  
  
"Any time, Miss Granger." He said. "Please tell Harry I was looking for him."  
  
He left.  
  
Hermione sat down on the front steps and put her head in her hands. "Oh poor Harry." She wailed. "He doesn't deserve it."  
  
"No shit." Ron said. "But you know what I want to know? I want to know how he survived AK!"  
  
"Maybe he's just in a very lucky family." Hermione said. "Let's go. We need to tell Harry."  
  
"Okay, if you're sure." Ron said.  
  
"I'm positive." Hermione said and set her chin up and walked through the doors.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
Harry and Lavender were at it again in the common room.   
  
"Harry, what do you want to be when you grow up?" Lavender said.  
  
"I don't know. I think a Quidditch player." He said thoughtfully.  
  
"That's awfully dangerous."  
  
"Nah. I survived a 50 foot fall in my third year, remember?" Harry said.  
  
"Oh!" Lavender said. "I do seem to recall that. We all would have been so upset if you hadnt had made it out okay."  
  
"I'm so sure." Harry said playfully.  
  
"No really!" Lavender said. "We would have missed you."  
  
They were sitting on the loveseat by the fire and Lavender kept scooting closer to him every time he looked elsewhere. Soon she was very close. Harry didn't seem to be minding. In fact he put his arm around her shoulders.  
  
Ron and Hermione saw them and panicked.  
  
"Should we interrupt?" Hermione said.  
  
"Yes." Ron said. "I think this is pretty important."  
  
"But they look so-"  
  
"Come on." Ron said.  
  
"Should we finish our- conversation- from earlier today?" Lavender now asked. "About you putting my wonders to rest?"  
  
"Sure." Harry said and took two fingers and moved her chin up so she met his eyes. "What do you want to know?"  
  
"What's your- favorite subject?" She fumbled.   
  
"I think I like…" trailed off. His face was moving closer to hers. Ron and Hermione were moving closer to them too.  
  
"What do you like?" Lavender asked. She was surprised that she barely dared to breathe.  
  
"I like-" Harry said- and then he snapped. He moved in one inch and kissed her lips. Lavender let out her held breath in a sigh and melted in to him.   
  
"Harry we need to talk to you." Hermione said. "It's really important."  
  
With a free hand he shooed them away, still in the kiss.   
  
Ron and Hermione sat down in chairs.  
  
"Just our luck." Hermione said. "Right when something important comes up like this he's to busy to listen."  
  
"And he's got his hands full this time, too."  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
  
A/N: My writer's block is gone, obviously. I hope it wasn't all too fluffy for you guys. Seriously I do hope you liked it. Please tell me if that was enough romance or if you want to see a little more. There will be some more, I guarantee you, but this was the Romance Chapter. Please review! It's what I live for!  
  
Love,  
Tad  



	9. Chapter Nine

  
"Look at them!" Somebody hissed the next day as Harry and Lavender walked to class hand in hand.   
  
"What is it?"  
  
"They must be dating!"  
  
"Wow."  
  
"What a cute couple."  
  
"I wanted him though."  
  
"But look how happy they are."  
  
Ginny was furious. She could have sworn that Harry had liked her. She had been sure of it. Oh how she wanted to punch Lavender. She could punch Harry too, as she looked at him kiss her cheek.  
  
"Hermione, I thought you said that you thought that he liked me!" Ginny wailed.  
  
"I guess I was wrong." Hermione said. "Oh Gin, I'm so sorry!"  
  
"You should be." She sniffed.  
  
"I have to go to class, Gin. I'll talk to you later okay?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Are you going to be okay?"  
  
"I'll be fine."  
  
"That's the right attitude!" Hermione gave her a friendly hug and ran off after Ron to Care of Magical Creatures.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
"Harry we need to talk to you after class." Hermione hissed as they fed their animals. "It's important."  
  
"But- me and Lavender were going to-"  
  
"Okay, lover boy." Ron snapped. "I'm sick of this. You're two best friends have to tell you something that is going to alter you life and all you can think about is your girlfriend!"  
  
"Life altering?" Harry said.  
  
"YES!" Both said quietly.  
  
"Can you just tell me now?"  
  
"It's personal."  
  
"Okay, okay. Fine." Harry said. "I'll hear you guys out."  
  
"Thank you Harry." Hermione said and kissed his cheek.   
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
It was lunch break. Hermione, Ron and Harry were skipping out on lunch.  
  
"Harry." Hermione said. "You know Krikor?"  
  
"What about him?"  
  
"Wait." Hermione said. "Let me rephrase that."  
  
"Harry, you got the Marauder's Map back for Christmas, right?" Ron said.  
  
"Yeah, I did."  
  
"Accio Map!"   
  
"What are you going to do with that thing?" Harry asked with a shaking voice.  
  
"I'm going to show you something." Ron said.  
  
"L-like what?"  
  
"I solemnly swear I am up to no good."  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
"Lavender." Ginny said and tapped her on the shoulder. "I need to talk to you outside."  
  
"Oh." Lavender said. "Okay!"  
  
They headed outside.  
  
"What do you want to talk about, Ginny?"  
  
"I just wanted to thank you for being such a good friend." Ginny said sweetly.   
  
"Thank you!" Lavender said. "That is so-"  
  
But Ginny had stopped Lavender's sentence with a punch in the stomach.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
"Show me something?" Harry said. "On the marauder's map? I have that thing memorized."  
  
Hermione took a deep breath. "Harry look at the teachers table. Tell me who you see."  
  
Harry bit his lip and grabbed the map. He glanced down at it, thinking about the distinct possibility of being sick. Harry pushed it away into Hermione's hands. As calmly as he could he said, "I know."  
  
Ron and Hermione looked at Harry. "You KNEW?"  
  
Harry nodded.   
  
"How long?"  
  
"A week. Maybe two."  
  
Everybody was silent for a very long time. They just kind of avoided everybody else's eyes. And then suddenly Hermione flung herself on Harry.  
  
"Oh, oh my god Harry." She said. "I can't believe it's true then."  
  
"I know." Harry whispered.   
  
"But how did he survive? Why did he leave you?" Hermione sounded like she was on the brink of tears.  
  
Harry shrugged, afraid to use his voice.  
  
"Oh how horrible you must feel. Of course I understand why you hate him now."  
  
"I'm sorry Harry." Ron said.   
  
"It's okay." Harry said and looked away from his friends. "I think I'm going to go find Lavender."  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
"You SLUT!"  
  
"Me?"  
  
"You!"  
  
"DON'T TALK! You are such a snot Ginny!"   
  
A scream.  
  
A thump.  
  
"THAT REALLY HURT!"  
  
"That would be the general idea, dip shit."  
  
"Language!"   
  
"There you go again, being stupid!"  
  
"I'm not stupid."  
  
A thump.  
  
A cry of pain.  
  
And then a flash. Ginny and Lavender looked up from their catfight to see what the flash had been from. Three people were taking pictures of them. A reporter was scribbling down notes.  
  
"Girls!" the reporter cried. "Why are you fighting."  
  
"SHE- WANTS- MY- BOYFRIEND!" Lavender yelled, trying to grab Ginny's hair.   
  
Ginny yelled as she lost a dime size lock of hair.   
  
Harry opened the two great front doors and stared at the scene before him.  
  
"Lavender?" He said. "Ginny?"  
  
A recorder was shoved in Harry's face. "What do you have to say about this, Harry?"  
  
"What do I have to say about what?" Harry said.  
  
"You're girlfriend and your secret admirer are having a fight."  
  
"Girlfriend?" Harry said quickly. "I don't have a girlfriend."  
  
Lavender stopped in mid punch. "WHAT?"  
  
Ginny opened her eyes. "You're single?"  
  
"I am now." Harry said. He caught Lavender's eye and winked. She looked quite relived. "I'm leaving."  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
  
"Hermione, what's going to happen know?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Hermione said.  
  
"Well if Harry's dad is alive." Ron said. "What is going to happen. Do you think Harry will live with him?"  
  
"Harry would kill himself first." Hermione said. "You know that."  
  
"I suppose." Ron said. "But you'd think that Harry and his father would want to be together. They haven't seen each other for like 14 years. James has a lot of catching up to do."  
  
"I don't think Harry wants to catch him up."  
  
"Why do you think he's been aloof all these years?"  
  
"Why do you think he left Harry?"  
  
"How did he survive Avada Kedavra?"  
  
And the two kept walking down the hall. They didn't notice the rat that had been following them for some time now.   
  
But they noticed him when it ran away in front of them.  
  
"Was that rat mutated?" Hermione said. "Did you see its paw? It was silver."  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Master." Peter breathed. "Master! You'll never believe what I have found."  
  
"What is it?" Voldemort said. "You know I don't like to be kept waiting."  
  
"Of course." Wormtail said. He kneeled before Voldemort. "I was spying on Potter's friends today and they had the most interesting conversation. It seems that James Potter is alive."  
  
"Impossible!" Voldemort said. "I saw the man die."  
  
"But they seemed quite sure. They even confirmed their answer when they asked Potter."  
  
"The boy or his father?"  
  
"The boy."  
  
"He's keeping his identity a secret?"  
  
"Yes." Wormtail said. "He is pretending to be one Gregory Krikor."  
  
"A teacher?"  
  
"Defense Against the Dark Arts, sir."  
  
"Well, you know what to do." Voldemort said.  
  
"I do?"  
  
"You do."  
  
"What do I do?"  
  
"KIDNAP HIM!" Voldemort bellowed. "I don't care how you do it, just get him."  
  
"Where do I take him once he's kidnapped though?"   
  
"The Mansion." Voldemort said. "My father's old Mansion will suit us just fine."  
  
"A-are you going to kill him?"  
  
"Eventually." Voldemort said, looking at his wand. "But we'll lure his son there first. James can watch him die."  
  
"But the Potter boy hates-"  
  
"What are you waiting for?" Voldemort said. "Go get James. And if you can, bring Snape along with you. In fact, make him help you take James. Tell him his life is on the line."  
  
"Yes sir."   
  
Harry woke up with a start. What an odd dream. James…kidnapped.   
  
'Well that was obviously not a true dream.' Harry thought. 'Because Hermione and Ron wouldn't talk about that in the corridors where anybody could overhear…' But just to make sure, he shook Ron awake.  
  
"What is it? What time is it?"  
  
"Ron, you and Hermione didn't- uh…" Harry groped in his mind for a good way to put this. "You didn't happen to see a rat with a silver paw did you?"  
  
"Yeah, we did." Ron said sleepily. "How did you know that?"  
  
All the color drained out of Harry's face. "I'm fucked. I am so fucked."  
  
"What? What are you talking about? It's just a mutated rat."  
  
"You could call him that I suppose." Harry said.  
  
"What?" Ron asked again.  
  
"Just- just go back to sleep Ron."  
  
"Okay then."  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
Harry was walking too first period early today. There was a group of teachers in front of him and one by one they parted off into their own classrooms until only James was left.  
  
Harry was in his own little world. He didn't notice James in front of him. Well, he saw him of course, but it didn't register in his mind "traitor, evil, father" when he did see him.  
  
So when James tripped on an uneven stone on the floor and took a nosedive Harry went with his instincts. He jogged up next to him and offered a hand.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah, thanks…" James got up, dusted himself off and then they both looked at each other. "Uh…see you in class then."  
  
"Uh, Professor?"  
  
"Yes, Harry?"  
  
"Stay away from rats for a while."  
  
"What?" James said and looked at him like he was smoking something.  
  
"They're just bad news, alright?" Harry said. "I'm serious. Kill any rat you see."  
  
"Right then."  
  
They walked off in different directions.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
That night Harry, Hermione and Ron went to see Hagrid. They hadn't talked to him for a while so they thought it fitting.  
  
Hagrid bid them inside and served them tea. It wasn't long until they were all caught up with everybody else's news. Hagrid and Madame Maxime were still seeing each other during the holidays and they had spent the whole summer together. Hagrid was blushing the entire time he talked about her.  
  
"And Harry, I heard you have a girlfriend." Hagrid said. "Lavender, is it?"  
  
"Yes, but do be quiet about it." Harry said. "I've gotten no less than 5 owls from magazines and papers wanting to know things about it. I'm trying to keep it down."  
  
"Probably smart." Hagrid said, stroking his beard.  
  
The conversation ranged all over. They talked about Hufflepuff's victory to Ravenclaw. Hagrid asked Harry how practices were going.  
  
"They're going well." Harry said, lying slightly. Fred had been made captain and George was jealous. Practice was weekly torture.   
  
They left Hagrid's hut much later than they had planned. It was night now and the castle's windows were lit up with golden light from candles. They walked to the castle at their leisure talking as they made their way up the drive.  
  
And then Harry noticed something.  
  
A line of animals was leading away from the forest. He nudged Ron and pointed.  
  
"Cor!" Ron breathed. "Where do you think they're all going?"   
  
Harry shrugged.  
  
"Well ask one or something Harry!" Hermione said.  
  
Harry looked at her oddly. "I'm not Dr. Dolittle. I can't talk to animals."   
  
"Snakes." Hermione said mechanically. "You go ask."  
  
"I don't want to."  
  
"Are you afraid of snakes?" Ron said.  
  
"No." Harry said. "But I'm really not in the mood."  
  
"Harry, just do it."  
  
Harry glared at Hermione and Ron and walked over to the line. He looked at a little green snake and then back at his friends. Hermione waved him on. He sighed.   
  
"Um- excuse me?" Harry said as quietly as he could. The little snake stopped.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Can I ask you why you are all leaving?"  
  
"The centaurs. They said something bad was written in the stars for tomorrow night and that we should all leave." The snake said. "And they are always right."  
  
"Is that all they said?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Would you mind it so much if you came with me to the castle?"  
  
"No, I've always wanted to go in there really."  
  
Harry held his arm to the little snake. He coiled around it like a bracelet. Harry stood up and went back over to Hermione and Ron.  
  
"What do you have that thing for?" Hermione said, backing away from Harry.  
  
"Hey, Dumbledore probably wants to hear this too, wouldn't you think?" Harry said. But something was wrong about the way he said that.  
  
"Um Harry." Ron said. "Switch languages…"  
  
Harry coughed.  
  
"Right. Sorry." He repeated what he said and Ron and Hermione agreed with them.  
  
"Well let's go and tell him." Hermione said.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
At the entrance to the castle they stopped to figure out what they would say to Dumbledore, if he hadnt already seen what was happening. They were deep in discussion when suddenly the snake said "DINNER!" and detached himself from Harry's arm and slid to the ground.  
  
"Look Ron, it's that rat!" Hermione squealed. "It's gonna eat the mutated rat!"  
  
Harry whipped around and ran to the snake. "STOP!" The snake stopped dead but Pettigrew kept scurrying away.  
  
Harry drew out his wand and mumbled something. The rat froze. He walked to the rat and picked him up.  
  
"Harry that thing probably has fleas with the bubonic plague on it!" Hermione said. "Put it down."  
  
"Ron." Harry said with the air or somebody who knows when he is right. "Can you remember Scabbers?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Say hello to him." Harry shook the frozen rat in Ron's face.  
  
Ron opened and shut his mouth a few times.  
  
"And I rest my case."  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
  
A/N: The next chapter WILL BE INTERESTING! I promise. I know it's sucked recently. Oh and don't mind my crappy fight scene. I can't write. But we all knew that so, it's all good!  



	10. Chapter Ten

It was late. Too late to see Dumbledore. So Harry took Pettigrew and shoved him in Hedwig's empty cage. He squeaked the whole night long and all the boys wanted to bash in it's skull and as much as Harry wanted to let them, he bit the notion.  
  
He resolved that night as he lay awake listening to the rat's pitiful squeaks that he would give the thing into the hands it really should be in. Krikor's.  
  
And so Harry took Scabbers (stunned and drugged) down the halls of Hogwarts the next day. He had checked the Marauder's Map to find his office.  
  
He had it all planned out. He would say 'Remember how I warned you against rats? Well here you go. This is a rat you'll want to kill and by all means, do it.' Krikor would see the rat, gasp in horror, transform him and free Sirius with him. It would be perfect.  
  
But Harry didn't even think that if that would have happened a father would be in his life.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
Harry knocked on Krikor's door. There wasn't an answer. So he knocked again. And again.   
  
Finally, he just walked in and sat down. Krikor would be there soon enough, he was sure of it. He tucked the rat in his pocket (he was still out cold) and began flicking his pointer finger against his thumb, amused when a little flame popped up.  
  
So he just kept doing it. Flicking his finger and looking at the fire.  
  
The door opened and James stepped in. He looked surprised to see Harry.  
  
"Just the person I needed to see!" He said. Harry yawned and then choked when James continued, "Come on in Mr. Malfoy. Is that fire?" He added nervously. Draco promenaded into the room and slumped into a chair.   
  
"Please don't play with that in my office. It causes a certain disturbance in the atmosphere in here." * A disturbance in my disguise more like * Krikor added mentally. The presence of fire melted his disguise off.  
  
Harry said, "I need to talk to you." Krikor looked at him. Harry looked at him intently and made the little fire spring up again.  
  
"Later. Now will you desist with that fire?" James said. "This involves both of you. You see my fourth years are very advanced this year. They are doing well in the unforgivable studies."  
  
Harry and Draco both coughed at the same time. "Keep moving." Draco said. "We don't care about the 4th years."  
  
"Okay, fine, I'll get strait to it." James said, glaring at both of them. "They don't understand that you can duel with out using them."  
  
"I thought you said they were advanced." Harry said. He caught Draco grinning.  
  
"Shut up!" James said. "BOTH of you. Here's what I'm getting at. You two are my best duelers. Will you agree to duel each other."  
  
"No." They chimed, looking at each other fearfully. Neither wanted to lose a limb.  
  
"You'll get points for your house."  
  
"Um." Harry said.  
  
"No." Draco said.  
  
"Draco, you'll get out of History of Magic and Harry you'll get out of Divination."  
  
Draco and Harry looked at each other. Eyebrows raised as they sized each other up.  
  
"Deal." They said flatly.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
"You're going to duel MALFOY?" Ron said. "You'll get killed!"  
  
"Will not."  
  
"You'll get really hurt." Hermione said.  
  
"Will not." Harry said. "I beat the bloody teacher dueling. I won't lose."  
  
"If you die, can I have your broom?" Seamus asked, glancing up from his homework.  
  
"No." Ron and Harry snapped.  
  
"What makes you think that you'd get it, eh?" Harry asked.  
  
"Because I'm your best friend."  
  
"Uh huh." Harry said. "And that makes you entitled to my stuff?"  
  
"Yes, as a matter of fact it does." Ron said. Everybody laughed. Harry shook his head and put his arm around Lavender.   
  
"Just be careful, okay?" Lavender said.  
  
"Yeah." Harry said. "I will."  
  
"And Harry?" Dean asked, looking over at them from his homework. "Kill him too, while you're at it."  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
McGonagall pulled him aside during breakfast.  
  
"Harry." She said. "I heard you're dueling Draco Malfoy."  
  
"I am." Harry said.  
  
"I'll give you extra credit if you use transfiguration to try and knock him out."  
  
"Sure." Harry said. "But how?"  
  
"I don't care. Turn a piece of lint into a stone and throw it at him." She said. "I'm taking my class there to watch the technique. I want you to transfigure something."  
  
"Okay, I'll do it." Harry said. "But only for the extra credit."  
  
He was leaving the hall when Trelawney caught up with him.  
  
"You're missing my class today." She said.  
  
"I am."  
  
"I am taking the class to watch you lose the duel." She said.  
  
"Lose the duel?" Harry said. "That's awfully grand, Professor. What makes you so sure?"  
  
"I just know these things dear." She said and tapped her nose.   
  
~* ~* ~* ~*   
  
"Ready to go down, Potter?" Draco said.  
  
Harry was sitting on the floor, stretching his arms above his head. He had to limber up for things like this. He leaned forward now to stretch his back.  
  
"I ASKED you a question!" Draco said loudly.  
  
"I'm aware." Harry said. "But I've decided I don't care."  
  
Draco glared at him and began stretching too.  
  
Voices filled the room suddenly.  
  
"You see, they are stretching so they can move quickly." James was saying loudly.   
  
Harry looked over from his stretching to see a large class of Ravenclaw fourth years looking at them with curiosity. Several of them were taking notes.  
  
"I can't believe I said yes to this." Harry muttered.  
  
Draco smiled evilly.  
  
McGonagall and her seventh year Gryffindor's walked in and then Professor Trelawney came in with more Gryffindors. And then, much to Harry's surprise, Hermione's class came in as well. Harry heard the teacher say something about Probability.   
  
Lavender ran up to him and hugged him. "Good luck." She whispered and with a final squeeze, ran back to her class. Ron smiled at him and Hermione winked.   
  
"Boys are you just about ready to begin?" James asked.  
  
They both nodded.  
  
"Shake hands- and bow." James said. They did so and got in starting position. The people watching sat down quietly to watch. "BEGIN!"  
  
"Expelliarmus!" Draco called.   
  
Harry dodged it. "What a dumb opening. I can't believe people claim you're good at this, Malfoy. FORTFISSIO!"  
  
Malfoy was to up in what Harry had said. He was thrown off guard as a paddle came out of nowhere and smacked his backside.  
  
"That hurt, you asshole!" Malfoy said.   
  
Harry grinned, and, making sure McGonagall was watching, he took a piece of lint out of his pocket and transformed it into a tennis ball sized rock and threw it at Malfoy, who consequently dodged out of the way.  
  
"Hey, Potter, did you ever sing when you were younger?" He said.  
  
"No."  
  
"You will now." Malfoy said. "CORUCCUIA!"  
  
Harry didn't know what this would do until he heard himself break out into a song. Harry didn't know how to throw it off either. So he just sat there as Malfoy laughed, singing his heart out to Elton John.  
  
"My gift is my song! And this one's for you. And you can tell everybody, that this is your song."  
  
Hermione winced. Harry had a nice voice and everything, but how embarrassing! Making sure nobody was looking; she pointed her wand at him. He stopped singing and sighed.  
  
"You will pay for that one. Mark my words." Harry said. "That was just rude. SERPENSORTIA!"  
  
Harry grinned as the serpent appeared. 'Go scare him' Harry told it.  
  
Malfoy remained calm for a while, just running away from the snake when it advanced. But he let out the worst, high-pitched scream as the black snake began wrapping itself around his leg.   
  
Harry laughed and made it disappear. "Fun fun, eh Malfoy?" He said.   
  
Malfoy, slightly shaking, glared at him. "That was your payback for singing?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Oh…" Malfoy said. He thought of a curse. Harry was quicker.  
  
"STUPEFY!"   
  
Malfoy swung on his feet and toppled onto the ground. Cheers ran through Harry's ears and he bowed.  
  
'Trelawney was wrong.' He thought and he left the room.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
"That was excellent today." Lavender said, leaning on Harry's shoulder in the common room. "Really excellent."  
  
"Not really." Harry said. "It was embarrassing."  
  
"But you won!" Lavender said.  
  
"So? Malfoy- that git- he made me SING!"  
  
"That's not that bad."  
  
"Yes it is." Harry said. "I don't think I've ever wanted the floor to swallow me up more than at that very moment."  
  
"But you've got a good voice, Harry." Lavender said. "Unlike most boys our age."  
  
"Whatever." Harry said. "He's going to pay anyways."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Revenge." Harry said. "He's gonna get it from me."  
  
"But remember what the Chinese say!" Lavender said. " 'Revenge is best served cold.' Meaning that you should wait for a while and then hit him with it when he's not expecting it."  
  
"Well, it's a good theory." Harry said. "But I think tonight will be perfect."  
  
About 15 people had been eavesdropping, Hermione and Ron included. All of them exclaimed "TONIGHT?"   
  
Harry jumped slightly. "Why of course tonight. I've got it all planned out."  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
"You're going to let me help you, right?" Ron said.   
  
Harry shook his head, no. "Sorry, but this is a solo act."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Quite."  
  
"But Harry, you were going to tell Dumbledore about Pettigrew tonight!" Hermione exclaimed, walking into the dorm room before dinner that night.   
  
"The prank won't take all night." Harry said. "Just about 5 minutes. During dinner."  
  
"Only five minutes?" Ron said. "What kind of prank only takes five minutes? It's not going to be good is it?"  
  
"It'll be good. Nobody will forget it."  
  
"We need to go to dinner." Hermione said. "Let's go boys."  
  
"I'll be down in a second. Save me a seat." Harry said.  
  
"Okay." Ron said. He and Hermione took off down the hall. Harry slipped on his invisibility cloak and silently made his way down the hall.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
"There's Granger and Weasley." Pansy said. "Potter should be by soon. But I still don't understand why you want to see him so bad."  
  
"I just wanted to compliment him on his lovely singing voice!" Malfoy said. Everybody who heard him started laughing. They all knew Malfoy had lost the duel, but nobody cared because Harry Potter had sung an Elton John song.   
  
Pansy snickered. "You're so funny." She said and scooted closer to him. "What else would you say to Potter?"  
  
Nobody noticed, of course, when Harry slipped into the room and stood behind Malfoy.  
  
"Oh I don't think I'd say anything else to him." Malfoy drawled. "I think I'd just give him a nice swift kick in the-"  
  
But suddenly his face froze and he couldn't seem to make out his last words.   
  
"Very cute Draco." Pansy said. "Finish your sentence now."  
  
His eyes bulged. He couldn't move. Something was wrong. He couldn't control his body.   
  
And then his hands rose, as if he was going to shout at somebody across the room.   
  
The Slytherins watched in amused horror as Draco started to sing. Well, it wasn't exactly singing, more like- lip-syncing to an old Muggle song.  
  
"Day-o! Me say day-o!"  
  
Pansy looked at her boyfriend. "Ha, ha Draco."  
  
"Day-o, me say day, me say day, me say-"  
  
Crabbe and Goyle were now bewitched. "Daylight come and me wanna go home." They added in.  
  
The entire Slytherin table let out one syncopated clap and stood up.   
  
Draco stood on the bench. The entire school was watching now in stunned silence. "Come Mr. Tally man, tally me banana."  
  
The Slytherins called out (or mouthed out) "Daylight come and me wanna go home." Then they smacked their hands together again and took a step in the other direction.  
  
"Daylight come and me wanna go home." Draco echoed. The first of the sniggers broke out through the hall.  
  
The Slytherins began to conga now. "Six foot, seven foot, eight foot BUNCH!"  
  
"Daylight come and me wanna go home!"  
  
"Six foot, seven foot, eight foot BUNCH!"  
  
"Daylight come and me wanna go home!"  
  
The Slytherins slowly sat down.  
  
Draco remained up but his voice was rather quieter when he sang the last thing, "Day-o me say day-o."  
  
The Slytherins sang, "Daylight come and me wanna-"  
  
"Go home." Draco finished. The spell wore off.  
  
The entire hall burst out laughing and Draco looked around.  
  
"POTTER! I'll get YOU!" He raged. But Harry slipped unnoticed out of the Great Hall and up to the dorm rooms where he burst out laughing and collapsed on his bed.  
  
Harry glanced at Hedwig's cage and that's when everything went wrong. The door was open and the rat was gone.  
  
Harry cursed and pulled himself out of bed. Something smelled faintly of smoke.  
  
He walked over to the window to air out the room, but the window was wide open already. And as Harry looked out it he immediately found the source of the scent and he ran as fast as he could into the Dining Hall.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore, the Forbidden Forest is on fire!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	11. Chapter Eleven

Pandemonium went out through the hall. Students were screaming and it took Dumbledore a while to get everybody to calm down. Finally he issued that 1st through 3rd years should go to their dorms, but that all other students should help fight the fire.  
Harry's outraged thoughts about Pettigrew had been driven from his mind. (A/N: If only this was the "Heir" series of mine Harry could just put out the fire with his mind…) The students rushed out of the building. The teachers were with them, side by side, trying to put out the by now, huge fire. Only one teacher was missing. Krikor. But nobody really noticed.  
Krikor was actually hiding in his room, afraid the fire would melt off his mask. He was shutting his windows when a loud SQUEAK echoed through the non-carpeted place. He spun around. James had never been all to fond of mice or rats for that matter.  
And a rat was exactly what he saw. Only this rat was different somehow. He seemed to be deformed. It had a hole in its ear and a silver paw. It looked oddly familiar.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
"Hey Ron!" Hermione said. She was sweating with all the heat from the forest.  
  
"What?"  
  
"On the count of three, we say the water charm. Neville! Harry! Seamus! Dean! On three we do the water charm. Aim for that tree!"  
  
"One. Two. Three!" They pointed their wands and shot water at a huge flaming tree. They fire was extinguished from it and they were all rather proud of themselves.  
  
"Look." Hermione said. "The fire is just about gone right here. Ron, lets go in a little farther to see if we can put out anything more to the center of this forest."  
  
"Isn't that dangerous?" Ron said nervously. "I don't want to get hurt."  
  
"Since when did that ever stop you before?" Hermione said, grabbed his hand and yanked him into the singed forest.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
James pointed his wand at the rat, to get rid of it once and for all. Its little black nose twitched and then its whole body shivered. He watched, stunned as the rat turned into his old school friend, Peter Pettigrew.  
  
"Gregory Krikor?" He said formally. "That's who you are, right?"  
  
James nodded numbly.  
  
"Right then." HE said and his voice cracked. "Let's see here."  
  
A sudden wall of fire spurted up in front of James. He yelped, even though the fire didn't touch him. And as quickly as it had come, it was gone. Only there was one difference. The difference was of course that James was exposed. His disguise was gone.  
  
"It is you then." Peter said. "It's good to see you again. Forgive me."  
  
"Never!" James said. "You killed Lily!"  
  
"Not me personally." Peter said, looking shifty and guilty. "Stupefy."  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
  
It was hot in the forest. Very hot actually. The ground was smoking, in fact.  
  
"Hermione, I'm getting light headed. Can we please go back now?" Ron said.  
  
Hermione, who was in front of him, coughed.  
  
"Are you okay Herm?"   
  
"I'm, I'm fine." She said faintly. Ron rushed up to her and caught her as she fainted. He thanked god that she was rather light as he gathered her in his arms. He ran out of the forest and up to the school. In five minutes they were in the hospital wing and Madame Pomfrey was fussing over them both.  
  
"Now, I want you to drink this all up." She said. "And now, I think I'm going to go lend a hand down by the fire."  
  
"Thanks." Ron said.  
  
"Thanks." Said Hermione who had just been revived. They drank their potions and scrunched up their faces at the taste.  
  
But they forgot about their own troubles when 2 voices came into earshot.   
  
"You got the DADA teacher?"  
  
"Yes."   
  
"Where is he?"  
  
"James is currently stunned in his room."  
  
"JAMES?"  
  
"James Potter."   
  
Ron and Hermione looked at each other. "Pettigrew and Snape." Hermione whispered. Ron nodded with wide eyes.  
  
"But he's dead."  
  
"He will be soon." Peter re-assured.   
  
"Well why are you telling me this?" Snape said. "I don't care."  
  
"Because you're coming with me Severus."  
  
"I am not!"  
  
"My lord will kill you if you don't."   
  
Hermione was biting her lip.  
  
"Well- well- I'll come then." Snape said. "Why does Voldemort want James."  
  
"To get Harry." Peter said. "We hope that if we capture his father he will be come vulnerable. So he will be easier to reach and kill."  
  
Hermione grabbed Ron's leg in fear and squeezed it hard.  
  
"Ow! Hermione! Geroff!"   
  
"What was that?" Peter said.  
  
"I don't know." Snape replied. "Do I get to help to kill the Potter boy?"  
  
"You'll have to take that up with my Lord."  
  
"How long until he's dead?"  
  
"Two weeks maybe?"  
  
Hermione couldn't take it anymore. "No!" She cried out.   
  
Snape choked and froze. A student! If he were caught, Dumbledore would fire him for sure. He was panicking when he burst the door in. "Stupefy!" He cried.  
  
Ron and Hermione didn't have a chance. They froze.  
  
"Imperio." Snape said. The two stunned students had no choice but to agree.  
  
"Good thinking." Peter said. "Now lets go get James and get out of here."  
  



	12. Chapter Twelve

  
Life went on, no matter how slowly, without the two teachers. Harry was at an impasse. If he told where James and Snape were, he'd be falling into Voldemort's hands. If he didn't James would be killed. So he remained silent, forever pondering this predicament. But aside from the immediate problem were Ron and Hermione.   
  
They had been found in the Hospital wing, out cold. Madame Pomfrey had been interrogated as to what potion she had given them. And ever since they had been revived they seemed- distant. Hermione never rose her hand in class and Ron stopped playing chess.  
  
But Harry was so busy dealing with his own problems that he figured that they were upset over the teachers. So, as mentioned earlier, life went on and soon it was the Friday before the Easter Holidays.  
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting down to breakfast when Hedwig landed on Harry's head. She dropped the letter into his eggs and nibbled his ear and left.  
  
"Haven't gotten a letter in a while." Harry commented quietly as he opened it.  
  
"Who's it from Harry?" Lavender asked from across the table.  
  
Harry shrugged.  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
I haven't gotten a chance to talk to you much lately. I'm sorry about that. Now, I'll get to the point. I know most students don't travel for Easter, but I figured that you might want to get away from the school for a while. No, this is not a trick set up by Voldemort, just telling you that right now. We'll get to talk, but it'll be partly business. You teachers have been contacted and they have made the choice not to give you homework. You will be gone 4 days, 5 nights and the climate will be chilly. Pack only Muggle clothing. We will not be with wizards.  
  
Meet me tonight at the lamppost outside of Zonko's at 7:00. Don't be late and take McGonagall down there to make sure you are off safely.  
  
Yours,  
Sirius  
  
  
  
Harry folded up the letter and pulled out his chair. He was skeptical. He went to Dumbledore and asked him what was directly on his mind.  
  
"Sir, did Sirius contact you about my leaving?" Harry asked. "I just got a letter from him."  
  
"Yes, he did Harry." Dumbledore said. "Last week in fact."  
  
"That's all I needed." Harry said. "Thank you professor."  
  
"Good bye."  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
Harry had gotten out of class early to pack. And so he sat on the cold floor of his room rounding up his clothing.   
  
"Socks, underwear…" He said looking at the neat piles to the left of him. "Shirts and jeans."  
  
"You're actually going to WEAR that?" Came a voice from the doorway.  
  
"Yes." Harry said. Dean walked in the room and tutted at Harry's choices of outfits. "It's all I've got, okay?"  
  
"Do you want to borrow some of my stuff?" He asked genially. "Because that crap you have there is rigoddamndiculous."  
  
"Rigoddamndiculous?" Harry said.  
  
"Yes, I got that from a movie." Dean said. "Now, wait a tic while I get you some decent clothing."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Dean tossed him a "Flameboy" tee, a collared long sleeve shirt, a black long sleeve cotton shirt that had a snake wrapping up one arm, a blue soccer jersey and a red soccer jersey. Then he produced 3 pairs of jeans and a bright yellow hooded sweatshirt that said "BONG" in big grey/silver letters.   
  
"Thanks Dean, I owe you." Harry said.  
  
"Yes you do." Dean said lightly. "But we'll call it even if I get to ride your Firebolt around during this break."  
  
"Deal." Harry said. He began packing his other necessities. Shampoo, a razor (A/n: NOT FOR KILLING HIMSELF, YOU FOOLS) deodorant, and some cologne. "Where is my lighter?"  
  
"Your what?" Dean said, looking up from his book.  
  
"My lighter."  
  
"What do you need a lighter for?"  
  
"You never know when you're going to need a lighter." Harry said. "I bought this one special though. It lights EVERYTHING. Like wet wood and metal or anything 'non' flammable."  
  
"Why did I give you the Flameboy shirt?" Dean said mildly and shook his head.  
  
Harry suddenly went very pale.  
  
"The-"  
  
"What?"  
  
"The rat!" Harry said. "The rat took my lighter."  
  
"That annoying rat? Is that what you're talking about?"  
  
"Yes." Harry could kick himself. The lighter. His lighter, in the hands of Pettigrew, had set the Forbidden Forest on fire.  
  
(A.N: There's a shocker)  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
Sirius was late. McGonagall and Harry sat, leaning against the lamppost for a half an hour before he showed up. They didn't say much at all. She asked Harry about Quidditch. Harry told her it was fine. The conversation ended.  
  
But Harry was talkative, as one always is when excited. He couldn't bear the silence. "Hey Professor?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I wanted to ask you something."  
  
"Go ahead."  
  
"Well." Harry took a long shot. "You see I have this friend and he knows something really important."  
  
"Keep going."  
  
"But he can't decide whether or not to tell because of the consequences."  
  
"What are the consequences?"  
  
"Seriousinjuryordeath." Harry said quickly.  
  
"Come again?"  
  
"Somebody gets hurt either way." Harry said. "And I-my friend- he is lost."  
  
"I see." She said. She looked at him piercingly. "How important is this thing your friend knows?"  
  
"Well- it's not all that important to him. But it's important to a lot of other people."  
  
"How many is a lot."  
  
"A whole bunch of people."  
  
Suddenly there was a large pop and Sirius appeared.   
  
"Thanks for seeing him down here Minerva." He said. "Sorry I'm late."  
  
"That's all right." She said. "You'd best be going now."  
  
"Yes." Sirius said. "Come on Harry."  
  
"Okay." Harry said. He was looking at McGonagall.  
  
"We need to hurry! Come on!" Sirius said. "We're pushing it by being this late." He began leading Harry away.  
  
"Oh!" McGonagall said. "I suggest, that Harry, whatever you know, you should tell."  
  
Harry blushed and let himself be led away from his teacher.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
"Sirius, you didn't tell me where we were going in your letter." Harry said.  
  
"Yes, I know." Sirius said. They went into a store that was still open, called "Owls Roost." "I figured that'd sound like more of a surprise vacation than a surprise business trip."  
  
"Business trip?" Harry said. "Why are you talking me on a business trip?"  
  
"Because Harry, the Muggles need to be warned."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Let me finish!" Sirius said. "The Muggles need to be warned about Voldemort. And you are the only person who knows what he looks like."  
  
"Not true. There are like 40 death eaters that know what he look like."  
  
"And I'm sure they'd willingly give us a description of him too…"  
  
"Oh that's what you want." Harry said.   
  
"You're right." Sirius said. "And also I really need to talk to you."  
  
"About?"  
  
"Now is neither the time nor place."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"No, it's not whatever."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"Harry Potter…"  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"HA! SEE!?"   
  
"You brought Muggle clothes, right?"  
  
"Right."  
  
"Change into them now."  
  
"In the middle of the Owl Shop?"  
  
"Yes." Sirius said. "You aren't naked under there are you?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Change then."  
  
Harry just thought of something.  
  
"WAIT!" He said. "Why aren't you in your dog form?"  
  
"I know the owner of this place." Sirius said. "She knows I'm innocent. Now stop stalling and change."  
  
"Fine." Harry said. "Turn around."  
  
Sirius grinned. "Of course." He turned round.   
  
Harry changed into jeans and a soccer jersey.  
  
"Didn't I mention it will be chilly?"  
  
"Did I mention I don't care about temperature?" Harry said. "I dove into the lake in October. I can withstand chilly weather."  
  
"You're a strange boy."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"Okay." Sirius said. "Moving on. Now, we're traveling by Floo Powder."  
  
"Oh no."  
  
"So take a pinch and say "Midway" and walk into the fire for me."  
  
"Um- okay." Harry said. He walked forward and threw the powder into the fire. "MIDWAY" He coughed and was gone in a whirl of green flames.  
  
He ended up in an alien place. (NOT THAT KIND OF ALIEN, YOU FREAKS) There were bright lights and- Muggles. Everywhere. It seemed they were in some kind of coffee store. The Muggles didn't notice Harry walk out of the fire. They didn't notice Sirius either.   
  
"Where are we?" Harry asked, dusting himself off.   
  
"Midway Airport, Chicago."   
  
"Chicago?" Harry said. "We're in the United States?"  
  
"You got it." Sirius said. "Now, we need to leave this place."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"The smell of coffee makes me want to vomit, that's why." Sirius said. "Do you have your bag? Come on then, let's go."  
  
Sirius grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him down grungy corridors of the old ugly airport. They walked by countless "Newsstand" stores. Harry wanted to stop and buy a newspaper for Mr. Weasley but Sirius wouldn't hear of it.   
  
"Now, you need to remember that, while you're with me, you need to pretend that I'm your father."  
  
"That should be interesting." Harry said. "Seeing as how we look nothing alike."  
  
"You have black hair. So do I." Sirius said. "And who cares."  
  
"Why do I need to be your son?"  
  
"For convienence."  
  
"That means I'm Harry Black?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"That sounds like shit."  
  
"You smell like shit."  
  
"Your Mom!"  
  
Sirius laughed. "If you really don't like it, change your name to something that you DO like."  
  
Harry grinned. "Okay. How about…" HE stopped to think. Sirius grunted and pulled him forward. "How about…." He said the first name that came into his mind. "Colin."  
  
"Colin?"  
  
"Sure why not?"  
  
"Colin Black."  
  
"You heard me."  
  
"That's dumb."  
  
"You're dumb."  
  
"Your momma. Angie daddy." Sirius said.  
  
"Okay, that was funny when I said it, but not you."   
  
"Okay." Sirius said. "Moving on."  
  
"Where are we staying tonight?"  
  
"Some friends of mine." Sirius said. "It's about a half an hour away from here. We're going to need to rent a car."  
  
"Can you drive?"  
  
"No." Sirius said. "I was hoping you could."  
  
"I got my license and the Dursleys, but I didn't think about packing it…"  
  
"Just summon it, why don't you."  
  
"Because we're in the middle of a crowded muggle airport. In Chicago."  
  
"I suppose." Sirius said. "Let's go get the car."  
  
They waited in a long line for "Avis" car rentals and got a little tiny white compact stick shift car. It was all they had left in the "cheap as dogs" price limit. They walked out of the Airport and found the car. Harry summoned his license (which took it a half an hour to fly to Chicago from Scotland) and they were off, a little shaky at first.  
  
"I've never driven stick shift." Harry said as he ground the clutch into the floor. Sirius and Harry both had serious headaches by the time they figured out how to drive the thing.  
  
"Take a left…NO RIGHT!"   
  
"A left?"  
  
"Right."  
  
"A right?"  
  
"No a left."  
  
"Okay, re phrase that."  
  
"Turn at the Krispy Kreme store."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Now turn again by the light store and HARRY! Go through the alley there."  
  
"Gotcha."  
  
"It's the last house on the left there." Sirius said. "The one with the black roof and the grey- blue paint job."  
  
Harry pulled up the drive of the slightly run down Victorian house and got out of the car.  
  
"Whose house is this?"  
  
"My old school chum." Sirius said. "He's pretty smart too, for a Hufflepuff. But then, everybody thought he should have been in Ravenclaw. His whole family was in Hufflepuff though…"  
  
"You're babbling, Sirius."  
  
"Yes, sorry."  
  
"So what's your friend's name?"  
  
"Nott. Quentin Nott."  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	13. Chapter Thirteen

Something had struck in Harry's memory. Nott…that sounded familiar. His stomach churned as Sirius rang the doorbell. Nott…. Where had he heard that name?  
  
The door swung open. A little girl was standing there. She was a chubby blonde and in a ballerina outfit.   
  
"Who are you." She said in a tiny childish voice.  
  
"And this must be Lisa." Sirius said, crunching down to her level. "Can you go get your daddy?"  
  
"Okay." She said. She shuffled back a few paces before screaming: "DADDY! SOMEBODY'S AT THE DOOR AND HE'S TALL."  
  
Harry laughed. A man walked down a rickety staircase. He too was a little overweight and blonde.  
  
"Lisa go play Barbies downstairs." He said to her.   
  
"Okay daddy. But if Dougie ripped of their heads again, can I smack him."  
  
"Girl power." The man said. "You go show him that."  
  
"All right." She said and ran like a "ballerina" away from the door.  
  
The man now looked at Sirius.  
  
"A sight for sore eyes!" He said and gave him a hug. Looked at the man. Who was he?  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
Harry slept that night in Quentin's son Dougie's room. Dougie was (go figure) blonde and overweight. But he was nice. He had bunk beds so Harry slept on the top and Doug slept on the bottom.   
  
"Do you like Packman?" Dougie asked Harry at dinner.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Never mind." He said. "I guess you don't have it in London."  
  
"Well, I'll bet we do, but, I'm not from London."  
  
"Where are you from then."  
  
"Surrey." Harry said.  
  
"Never heard of it."  
  
"It's rather small." Harry said with a shrug.  
  
"You have any Magic cards?"  
  
"Any WHAT?" Harry said. His voice cracked.  
  
"Magic cards." He whipped out a huge stack of cards from his pocket and showed them to Harry. "It's a trading game. Never mind. You want to play on the computer?"  
  
"Not really, I have some things I should do, actually." Harry lied.  
  
"Like what?" Doug asked, sensing the lie.  
  
Harry groped around in his mind. "Homework."  
  
Sirius heard.   
  
"Har- COLIN. I thought you were excused from homework." He said.  
  
"Not from it all." Harry said. "I still have some- er- ALGEBRA- I need to be doing."  
  
Quentin had lost his wand a long time ago. He had done something very serious (A/N: I can't think of anything right now) and it had been snapped in half. He had married a muggle named Nancy and he had never told her about his school days. Sirius had warned Harry as he washed up for dinner.  
  
"Algebra."  
  
"Yes." Harry said. "I'd better get going on that, eh?"  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
The next day Harry and Sirius went to the Chicago Police. There was a desk in front of the office where a receptionist was working. Harry and Sirius approached her.  
  
"Excuse me, ma'am?" Sirius said. She looked up. "Me and my son here need to talk with an officer."  
  
She looked at Harry now. She glanced at the bright yellow sweatshirt that said "BONG" on it and said simply, "Drug tests are at the Courthouse."  
  
"Excuse me?" Harry said loudly.  
  
"I'm Sam Black and this is my son, Colin. We have an appointment." Sirius said.   
  
The lady looked in her binder full of appointments and blushed. "So sorry, Mr. Black. They are waiting for you. Go down that hall, the third door on the left."  
  
"Thank you." Sirius said and grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him down the hall.  
  
~* ~* ~*  
  
"Now, we'll start with his chin."  
  
"His chin?"  
  
"Yes. Was his chin rounded or pointy?"  
  
"It was pointed." Harry decided matter of factly. There was some scratching on paper.  
  
"Now, his skin below his lips. Did he have a beard? Any blemishes? A mole?"  
  
"Nothing." Harry said.  
  
The lady in front of him was drawing Voldemort. She never once looked up at Harry throughout the entire ordeal.  
  
"Okay. The frame of his face. Wide? Thin? Curved? Shaped like a heart? Cowlick?"  
  
"Thin, pointy, high cheek bones." Harry said  
  
"All right." She said. "Now tell me about his nose."  
  
"Okay." Harry said. HE thought back. "It's flat, thin and long, shaped a little like a snakes. Does that make sense?"   
  
"Perfectly." The woman said. "Tell me about his eyebrows."  
  
"Um- can I see the picture?"  
  
"Sure." She turned around her easel around. Harry looked at it. It did resemble him- a little.  
  
"His nose was longer and his face wasn't quite that thin."   
  
"Okay." She flipped her pencil around in her hands and erased for a moment. "Eyebrows now, please."  
  
"Medium sized, pointed and bushy towards the middle. The don't curve to much."  
  
"Okay." She said, still not looking up. "Eyes."  
  
Sirius was watching Harry closely. He closed his eyes for a moment and shuddered. Without opening his eyes he said, "Thin, long and sunken in. Pupils are barely there. Like a snake."  
  
"Now hair."  
  
"He's bald."  
  
The woman took a deep breath and began scribbling some more. "Now, is this what he looked like?" She turned around her easel for Harry to see.  
  
He gulped and nodded. Sirius hadnt planned on looking at the drawing. But he did. And what he saw was the most awful, repulsive looking face in the world. It was like looking at all his fears combined and that was really saying something.  
  
"H- Colin." Sirius said and reached out his hand to his. Harry looked at Sirius with hard eyes.  
  
"I'm fine." He said. "Just fine."  
  
"Okay."  
  
The police officer cut in right then. "Now, how do you spell his name again, Colin?"  
  
"V-o-l-d-e-m-o-r-t." Harry said.  
  
"That's a strange name."  
  
"His real name is Tom Riddle. Nobody calls him that though."  
  
"We'll just stick to Voldemort then."  
  
"Yes."  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
  
Sirius and Harry went out to lunch after that. Neither of them said very much until they ordered.  
  
"Harry, I need to talk to you." Sirius said and at the exact same second Harry said, "Sirius, I need to talk to you."  
  
They laughed and said together, "You first."  
  
"I'll go first." Sirius said.  
  
"All right." Harry said.  
  
"Well, it has to do with a certain teacher of yours." Sirius said.  
  
"A- a teacher?" Harry said. "Who cares about the teachers?"  
  
"I do." Sirius said. "And I know somewhere you do too, now don't interrupt me anymore just listen for a-"  
  
"I'll interrupt you when I want to."  
  
Sirius looked at him piercingly. "Just listen- don't talk. I'm not joking around."  
  
Harry didn't say anything.  
  
"Do you understand."  
  
Harry looked at him.  
  
"Well answer me!"  
  
Harry mouthed, 'I can't talk.'  
  
Sirius rolled his eyes. "You're strange. But on with the conversation."  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
"It's about your Defense teacher." Sirius took a deep breath. Harry couldn't resist saying:  
  
"I don't need to worry about him, Sirius. He was captured."  
  
"Don't talk about that!" Sirius said. "I know he was captured and you don't think I don't kick myself about not killing Peter everyday?"  
  
"What do they have anything to do with each other?" Harry said. "Well, they are both rats, but that's beside the point."  
  
Harry expected Sirius to laugh. He didn't though. He glared at Harry. "I don't think you know what you are saying."  
  
"I think I do." Harry said. "I know all about him, and I don't like him."  
  
"You know all about him?"  
  
"Yes, Sirius. He's my own * precious father * back from the dead."  
  
"Well that was nice!"  
  
"Why should I be nice to him?"  
  
" Because."  
  
"Because why?" Harry asked. "I want reasons. I want detailed reasons for why he abandoned me at the Dursley's house for 11 years."  
  
"He didn't mean too." Sirius said.  
  
"Oh!" Harry said. "I see how it is. 'Whoops! Aww crap, I accidentally dropped Harry on his relative's front door in the middle of the night. Well, I can't take 3 seconds to pick him up now, can I? I'd better just leave him here…"  
  
"Okay so you do have a point!" Sirius said. "But he's back now."  
  
"And I'm damned if I say 'oh daddy! I love you. Let's go home and live happily ever after.'"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because I hate him!" Harry said. "He's an asshole."  
  
"You're an asshole too, Harry." Sirius said and avoided his eyes.  
  
"Yes, but I have the right to be one!" Harry shot back.   
  
"Well Harry, he's not going back now." Sirius said. "He's in public again and he doesn't want to go back to where he came from."  
  
"You mean under that rock?"  
  
Sirius thought about this for a second and then, understanding what Harry meant, frowned at his godson.  
  
"Maybe you should try being nicer."  
  
"Maybe I shouldn't." Harry said. "Plus, even if I was nice to him, there would be nothing I could do about it. He's gone."  
  
"Gone." Sirius said slowly. "Why was he captured."  
  
"Peter." Harry said.   
  
"Do you know anything about this?" Sirius said. "Harry, you've got to tell me!"  
  
"No." Harry said, not looking at him. "I don't know anything."  
  
"Don't lie to me!" Sirius said. "I know you have those dreams, and I know their true Harry."  
  
"Look," Harry said. "Just drop it. I have something more important to tell you."  
  
"What's more important than this?"  
  
"Well the person we're staying with is a death eater for one."  
  
Sirius looked at Harry for a moment and burst out laughing. "You think you're smart, don't you 007."  
  
"What?" Harry said. "All I know is that there is a D. E. and his last name is Nott. That isn't very common name."  
  
"Okay, you have a little point, but it's not much of one." Sirius said. "But I know who you're talking about. Quentin's younger brother. That's why Quentin lost his wand. You see they look a like and Quentin got blamed for doing some D. E. things. So they snapped his wand and he was banished."  
  
"What's the younger brother's name?"  
  
"Walter. But everybody calls him Wal."  
  
Harry and Sirius snickered.   
  
"So I was just freaking out about nothing?"  
  
"You have the right to freak out Harry." Sirius said. His eyes glinted as he added, "And you freaked out over nothing."  
  
~* ~* ~* ~* ~*   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: Hey all! I haven't written one of these in a long time. This chapter, maybe even this whole freaking story goes out to Poopsalot or PooPooQueenie@hotmail.com. She's probably my number one fan, and she's really sweet too. Thank you for reading my stories. You're awesome.  
  
And thank you to the rest of you for reviewing too. I really appreciate reviews. It's what keeps me going. Oh and here's a little contest for you all.   
  
The first person that finds the ever so obvious pun in this chapter gets a free spoiler. Please write me a review telling me what the pun is and if you are the first person, make sure you notify me via E-mail too. I am Tadariada@aol.com.   
  
Thanks for reading again!  
  
~ Tad ~   
  



	14. Chapter Fourteen

It seemed like no time indeed had passed when Harry and Sirius packed up their belongings. They had thoroughly enjoyed their stay in the city. But the Easter break was almost over.  
  
Harry drove to the airport and Sirius talked to him all the while. Harry kept his eyes on the road, not wanting to respond to the topic.  
  
"About your father Harry." Sirius said. "I don't want you to run out and try to save him-"  
  
Harry grunted loudly to let Sirius know that the idea hadn't entered his mind.  
  
"Because Voldemort is strong."  
  
"I know that."  
  
"He's dangerous. I know you can be dangerous too- but don't do anything dumb." Sirius waited for Harry to reply with something pert but he didn't so he continued. "And stop thinking it's your duty to kill Voldemort. Leave him to the trained professionals."  
  
"Sirius, I'm going to remind you that I don't purposely meet up with him." Harry said.   
  
"I know." Sirius said and sighed. "But I'm just worried about you."  
  
"Don't be, I won't be disappearing any time soon."  
  
"How do you know that?"  
  
"I don't." Harry said with a shrug.   
  
"And when he comes back, Harry, I want you too make an effort to be pleasant."  
  
Harry said nothing.  
  
"He's your father."   
  
"I know that."  
  
"You should treat him like-"  
  
"The scum he is?"  
  
"Harry!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"That was cold."  
  
"Don't get me started."  
  
"Take a left here. We need to return the car."  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
Sirius and Harry walked into the airport and quickly found the coffee shop they wanted. The stood by the fire, the Muggles all completely oblivious to them and threw the Floo Powder into the fire.   
  
Nobody noticed the fire turning bright green. Harry figured that the Muggles couldn't see the fireplace.   
  
"I'll see you soon Harry." Sirius said and gave him a hug.  
  
"You've not coming back with me?"  
  
"I cant." Sirius said.  
  
"Okay." Harry said, his heart sinking a little bit. Harry hugged him once more and walked into the fire coughing out "Zonko's!"  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
  
It was nighttime in Hogsmeade. Harry was thinking about the 'Floo' lag he would be having as he headed out of the small town and up to Hogwarts. There was no teacher to escort him up there, but Harry was pleased to find a horseless carriage waiting to take him up the hill.   
  
Without a second thought he opened the door and got in. The carriage was not a comfortable one. He looked around it. The window over the door- had bars on it. The seat was hard like stone and- was that hay on the floor? The walls concealing him were gray.   
  
Something was very wrong.  
  
Something moved in the hay. Harry looked closer and saw two shoes. His eyes lifted from the floor. There was now a man sitting across the way from him - and it was James.   
  
Harry stood up and went to the door. He grabbed the knob and tried to twist it to get the door open. "Let me out!" Harry screamed. "Let me out!"  
  
He watched in horror as the knob melted away and the door became iron.   
  
There was no longer the sound of wheels on unpaved roads. The only noise was Harry's shouts.  
  
A quiet voice startled him.   
  
"It's no use Harry." The voice said, "you'd better come sit down."   
  
Harry did as he was told, melting onto the bench. He put his head in his hands muttering, "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"  
  
"You aren't stupid."  
  
Harry jumped slightly. He'd forgotten about James.  
  
"Yes, I am." Harry said. "I always get myself into these situations! God damn it…."  
  
"Don't curse." James said, "There's no point."  
  
"Piss off." Harry said. "I need to think."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"We must be in his house." Harry muttered. "I know it."  
  
"Whose house?"  
  
"Tom Riddle's."   
  
"Voldemort's house?"  
  
"No, Voldemort's father's house. I've been here before." Harry said. "Never inside though."  
  
"I'm confused." James said.  
  
Harry said nothing, but kept mumbling to himself.  
  
"Harry." James said. "Have you noticed who you're with here?"  
  
"Yes I noticed you, yes, I see that your disguise is gone and no, I don't care." Harry said quickly. "Now stop thinking about your being a failure as a father and come over here and help me melt these bars."   
  
James jumped up. "Harry don't touch those!"  
  
Too late. He touched the furthest most bar and a huge shock went through his body. Harry fell to the floor.  
  
He was woken up to somebody shaking him.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"Bloody hell, that was unexpected."  
  
James smiled weakly and let go of Harry.  
  
"Okay. The little known thing about jail cells is that there is always a fake bar."  
  
"There is?"  
  
"There is." Harry said. "I've seen it in enough movies to know it's true."  
  
"What are you planning?"  
  
"An escape."  
  
"Oh god."  
  
So Harry tapped every bar with his finger and passed out with every shock. Finally he was at the last bar.  
  
"And by process of elimination, this is the fake bar." Harry tapped it. It shocked him but it wasn't a big shock. More like the kind of shock that you get if you've been running around with socked feet on carpet and then touching a door handle. "See?" Harry said.   
  
James looked at him. "I don't know whether you are really smart, or if you watch to much T.V."  
  
Harry said nothing to this. He took out his wand and muttered something. A little flame came out the tip of his wand. He moved it onto the bar. It started turning red.  
  
Suddenly there was a loud noise.   
  
"Oh!" James said. He grabbed Harry and pulled him away from the door. "The guards!"  
  
A tall man walked in front of their cell. He looked in. Harry bit his lip, trying not to let out the scream of pain from his scar.  
  
"Ah Harry." Came the cold voice. "It seems you are finally here."  
  
Harry nodded.   
  
"You'll have to speak up boy." Voldemort said. "I can't hear you."  
  
"Get a hearing aid." Harry winced.   
  
Voldemort looked at him. "Care to repeat that?"  
  
"Forget it." Harry said. "I forgot how incompetent you are."   
  
"Big words for such a small boy." Voldemort said. "Crucio!"   
  
Harry hadnt noticed the wand pointing at him during this conversation. He flew to the floor in a whir of pain, but he refused to cry out and bit his lip. James was yelling something at Voldemort. James then grabbed his own wand and shouted "FINITE INCANTATIATEM!"   
  
The curse was thrown off of Harry and he stood up, trembling. His lip was bleeding and it hurt when he said, "That one's getting old, you know?"  
  
"I've had enough of your lip, boy!" (No pun intended) Voldemort said. "I'll have an audience with you tomorrow."  
  
And with a swish of his cloak he was gone.   
  
"Audience?" Harry yelled through the bars. "Does this mean I have to sing?"   
  
James watched as the boy, who was completely strong five seconds ago began to shake with held in sobs.   
  
"What is it?" James asked, a little uncomfortable.   
  
"My- my lip." Harry said. "It's - it's-"  
  
"Lumos." James said. His wand lit up. "Show it to me."  
  
He directed the light on Harry and gasped. He had bit right through his lower lip.   
  
"Harry, please try to hold still, I might be able to fix it." James said. Harry took a deep breath to try and calm down. "Now this may hurt a little…"  
  
James touched his wand to Harry's lip and quickly muttered something. Harry yelled out. It hurt more than a little, but after a few seconds; it was back to normal. (The lip, not the hurt.)  
  
"Um." Harry said. "Thanks."  
  
"No- no problem."  
  
They retreated to their own corners of their cell. Harry lay out on the hard thing that was supposed to be a bed. He fell asleep after a while, but only to have nightmares. He tossed and turned all night muttering things like 'No! Cedric!' and 'Justin, be careful around greenhouses.'  
  
James listened to it all in horror. He never realized that Harry did have a right to be crabby and mean until now. He had never quite understood the things that had happened in Harry's life. But he never thought about the fact that Harry had been nearly killed annually for the last 4 years.   
  
Suddenly Harry yelled and sat up strait in the "bed".   
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"Voldemort- he's going to get a hold of Dumbledore tomorrow. He's going to come and get me and-" Harry went pale and ran over to the urinal and threw up. "I've got to get out of here."  
  
"What- what's going to happen?"  
  
"Nobody's gonna die." Harry said. "Tomorrow at least. But it's starting. The war is starting."  
  
"What war?"  
  
"The war between good and evil." Harry said. "And he's starting it off by- by-"  
  
"By what?" James asked, dreading the answer.  
  
"By killing me." Harry whispered.   
  
  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: This chapter is going out to Seeker_2000. She helped me a lot.   
  
Thank you all for reviewing, it means the world to me.   
  
Love,  
Tad  
  
P.S. The more reviews I get, the faster I'll pop out the next chapter. (Note to all non-reviewers: THIS MEANS YOU!)   



	15. Chapter Fifteen

A/N: WHOLY CRAP! You guys rock! That is the most reviews I've ever gotten for a single chapter. I'm blown away. I'm also really sorry I didn't exactly live up to my promise of posting soon. I have had the worst writers block in the history of the world. If this chapter sounds like crap, I'm truly sorry. But, please don't let me know if it is bad. I hate flames. They make me sad.  
  
Now! On with the chapter!  
  
Peace Love and Peanut Butter,  
Tad  
  
P.S. To the cunning reviewer who found out my fetish: yes, I do love fire. But fire is not in all of my series. I don't know if you have read Harry Potter hits Broadway or The Love Children (NOT THAT I RECOMMEND YOU TO DO SO, those are awful stories) but they don't have any fire in them. And if they do I've forgotten…  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
  
  
  
"You, boy." A guard growled the next day. "Come here." Harry stood up from his bed and walked over to the door.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"This is your breakfast." He said. Something was slid under the door. Two bowls of porridge were on a tray.  
  
"Is this edible?" Harry asked the guard. The guard stared at him.  
  
"What?" He said. "How dare you even ask that!"  
  
"Well, I don't want to be eating bird poop. That's certainly what it looks like."  
  
"It's grits."   
  
"Gross." Harry said. "Can't I have something better?"  
  
"You can have nothing at all if that's what you'd prefer!"   
  
"Right then." James had awoken. "Harry, shut your hole and accept the food."  
  
"Thanks." Harry said with fake sweetness to the guard. He picked up the tray and gave a bowl to James.  
  
Harry sat down on the uncomfortable bed and stared at the grits. James watched him out of the corner of his eye. He seemed to be concentrating on the food.  
  
"What are you doing?" James asked.  
  
"Nothing that you care about." Harry said. James sighed. The night had restored Harry's coldness.   
  
"Okay."  
  
"Come on!" Harry muttered. He was still staring at the food. "Change into something I'm not going too gag up. Something that won't give me hives! Something that I'm not allergic too! Toast and butter! Frosted Mini Wheat cereal with milk! Steak and potatoes!"  
  
James chuckled and took a bite of the cold grits.   
  
Suddenly there was a pop.   
  
"Eggs and bacon!" Harry groaned. "Out of every breakfast food out there- eggs and bacon?"  
  
"Harry what are you talking about?" James asked.  
  
"My food." Harry said. "I'm allergic to grits. I learned that the hard way at the Dursley's a few summers ago. So I have to change the food to something I like. Doesn't work very well." He scowled at his eggs.   
  
James thought for a moment before saying, "Do you hate the life I left you?"  
  
Harry snorted. "You know what? You get all mad at me for snapping at you. But you really set yourself up for it. Of course I hate it!"  
  
"I'm really sorry."  
  
"I'll bet you are." Harry said flatly. He picked up a piece of bacon that was under done. "Go back to where you came from!" He commanded it.  
  
James didn't see he was talking to the bacon, which had disappeared out of Harry's hands.  
  
"I can't leave, and I don't want to."  
  
"I wasn't talking to you."  
  
(A/N: Hey, I know you must think this food thing is crazy, but I don't care. It's interesting to write about.)   
  
"Right." James said. The conversation ended there.   
  
The guard had returned for their empty bowls. He took them and then opened the door to the cell.  
  
"You- boy. You're coming with me."  
  
"No I'm not!" Harry said loudly.   
  
The guard had dealt with annoying captives before. He said nary a word, just grabbed Harry's wrist and yanked him out of the cell.  
  
"Let go!" Harry yelled. "Let go! Let go! Let go!"   
  
"Shut up, boy!" The guard said.   
  
"Not unless you let me GO!"   
  
"That's it!" The guard said. "I've had enough of you!" He grabbed the sleeve of Harry's robes and ripped off a line of fabric. He tied it around Harry's mouth. "That'll teach you to shut up.  
  
"I ca stiw alk ou oh." Harry choked out. The guard held up a large fist and Harry shut up.  
  
They were going up a flight of stairs now. They were old and dusty and creaked under the weight of Harry and the guard. Harry's scar began to twitch, and then burst out into full pain like he had never known. Voices could be heard.  
  
"Where are Harry and James, Tom?" It was Dumbledore! Harry never thought he'd be happier to hear the old man's voice.   
  
"Safe in my custody."  
  
Dumbledore snorted. "I hardly call you safe."  
  
Harry began making a racket promptly. "Hewp muh! Hewp muh!" (Help me)  
  
"Wormtail, go find the source of that noise!" Voldemort ordered. Harry kept yelling and he pounded his feet down loudly on the steps.   
  
Peter came out of a room and seeing Harry, went pale and rushed back into the room. Voldemort was sitting in his favorite chair. Albus Dumbledore's head was in the fireplace. Peter leaned forward and whispered something in Voldemort's ear.   
  
"Damn that boy!" He stood up and walked out of the room.  
  
Harry glared up at Voldemort. "I swa ull kull ou!"  
  
"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you Potter." Voldemort sneered. "But it's not going to happen and we all know that. Now, I have your headmasters head in the fire…he wants to speak with you."  
  
Harry nodded.   
  
He lowered his voice. "Now, I'm warning you Potter. If you say one wrong thing- you will be punished. All you're allowed to tell him is that you are both alive, we feed you and that you're scared. Got it?"  
  
"Mm ot sard!" (I'm not scared)  
  
"Yes you are." Voldemort said. "Avery, take off the gag please."  
  
The guard untied the gag and Harry moved his jaw around.  
  
"Remember boy- one wrong word." Voldemort marched back into the room. "Well Dumbledore, I've brought him up for you. Come here Harry." Avery kicked Harry and he stumbled into the view of the fireplace.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore!" Harry winced.   
  
"Oh thank god, you're alive. Is James alive?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Are they feeding you?"  
  
"A little." Harry received a kick in the shins from Avery. "Yes, they're feeding us."  
  
"Where are you?"  
  
"We're at the- the-" Harry tried to remember the name, but failed. "We're far away. I don't know. It's where I was after the third task."  
  
"CRUCIO!" Harry hadnt expected that. He fell to the floor and screamed. Voldemort just laughed and took it off him. "Think you're so smart now, do you, Harry? I hope that teaches you to disobey me. Guard, gag him again. Tie his hands too."  
  
"You won't win Tom." Dumbledore said from the fireplace. Harry was dragged out of view.   
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
A week went by. Neither of them talked too much. Harry knew trying to melt the bars of the cell wouldn't do much anymore. The guards had the whole cell rigged. They could see and hear everything going on. So Harry kept turning his grits into bacon and James sat on his bench all day making little dolls out of the hay on the floor.   
  
It was boring and both were growing thinner and thinner from the two meager meals they received each day.   
  
"Harry." James said one day.  
  
"What."  
  
"I was thinking, we could use this time to just talk. You know- father to son."  
  
"You aren't my father." Harry said simply. "I don't know you at all and you don't know me. It's hopeless to even try. Especially since we don't even get along."  
  
"We get a long."  
  
"We get a long." Harry said and laughed. "We get a long now that were locked in a cell together and it's our only human contact except Avery out there who just is * such * a conversationalist. Face it Krikor, we're at last chance Texaco."  
  
"You're right, I know your right." HE said. "But you can call me by my real name now."  
  
"I think I like Krikor." Harry said. "It fits your personality. Sneaky and quirky."  
  
"Should I take that as a compliment?"  
  
"No." Harry said. "Look, where is this conversation going?"  
  
"No where."   
  
"Well, I rest my case." Harry said. "We have nothing in common either."  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
"LET US OUT!" Harry yelled strait at Avery's face the next day.   
  
"Shut up Potter."  
  
"No seriously!" Harry said. "LET US OUT!"  
  
"You're losing it."  
  
"Could be." Harry said and crossed his eyes. "But you won't know unless you LET US OUT."  
  
"Oh, you'll be coming out soon."  
  
"Avery, look, all I want is a decent meal and maybe a quill and some paper." Harry said. Avery hated Harry, it was obvious, but Harry? Harry based his day around annoying Avery.  
  
"And what would you do with that quill?"  
  
"Well." Harry brought his voice down to a whisper. "Promise not to tell, but with the quill I'd start scratching a hole through this cement. Ever so slowly. It may take months, even years. But then, someday, the hole will be big enough for me to slip through and then I'll be free." Harry's voice had been getting steadily quieter so Avery leaned in to listen to Harry's voice now. "But before I go to sleep every night I'll cover up the hole with the paper and some sellotape. And nobody would ever know what I was up to." His voice was barely a whisper. "Unless you'd just like to spare me some trouble and LET US OUT OF THIS GOD DAMNED CELL!"  
  
Avery cursed, and drew his ears away from the bars on the door to the cell. "I'm reporting you for that one."  
  
"Okay, sir!" Harry said. "But what will they do to me? Throw me in a cell and never let me out? …Oh wait. It's too late for that one."  
  
Avery left at that.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
Voldemort had done some thinking. Dumbledore would know where he was hidden soon enough and he didn't have enough defenses to hold him back right now. So he developed a plan.  
  
"We need to get rid of them." Voldemort said.  
  
"Kill them?" Avery said. "Are you going to kill them?"  
  
Voldemort said. "I was thinking I'd let James go."  
  
"You're just going to let James go?"  
  
"And before I let him go, he's going to see Harry die."  
  
"You're going to kill the boy?"  
  
"And he will be there to see him die." Voldemort said. "Go and get Harry for me now."  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
Harry sat back on the hard bed and looked at James who was snickering in the corner. "I couldn't wish for a better cell mate, I'll give you that much."  
  
"The felling isn't mutual." Harry said.  
  
"Why's that?"  
  
"You snore." Harry said.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"And you drool."  
  
"I see."   
  
"And you have this really bad habit of--"  
  
"I get the point." James yelled.  
"Talkinginyoursleep" Harry finished his sentence quickly. James glared at him. Harry grinned innocently.   
  
"Your a real jerk sometimes you know?" James said, sighing as he laid down on his "bed".   
  
Harry snorted. "I've always been told I'm just like my father."   
  
James smiled, but Harry didn't see it. "You acknowledged I'm your father."   
  
Harry pretended he hadn't heard.   
  
Then there was a new sound. Avery laughing evilly. He came into the room, banging the door open. "Will you please stop laughing like a hyena?" James said.  
  
"Good one" Harry said.   
  
"I learn from the best." James replied with a wink.  
  
"Awww. Father-Son love. That's so sweet I think I'm going to hurl." He started walking toward Harry and grabbed his shoulder. "Come on now. Master has some...plans...for you."   
  
Harry easily squirmed out of Avery's grip. "Tell him to re schedule. I'm not going anywhere near him."  
  
"You'd think that, wouldn't you?" Avery said lazily. He grabbed Harry's wrist now and began to tug. Harry, who had small writs, slipped his hand out.  
  
"Because." He continued. "He's a pain to talk to. His vocabulary consists of 'Crucio', 'I'm going to punish you' and 'I'll get you Harry Potter.'"  
  
James added lightly in a high voice, "And your little dog too."  
  
Harry had to laugh at this. No matter how much he didn't want to laugh, he did, and it was his downfall. Avery seized the moment (A/N: No, I don't endorse Kodak ©) and grabbed Harry around the middle.  
  
"No, no Avery!" Harry said. "I was laughing, not choking. Can you please remove your arms?"  
  
"You're coming with me." Avery said. "So, I'm thinking…no."  
  
"I'm thinking." Harry said and looked up at Avery sweetly. "Yes." Harry lifted up his leg swiftly and kicked him in the special place that all boys have.   
  
Avery groaned and Harry stumbled to the other side of the cell. But the burly guard quickly recovered.   
  
"That was a little below the belt there!" Avery said.  
  
"Literally." Harry said snidely. James chuckled.   
  
Avery was advancing quickly now. James forgot the little joke and did what came first to his mind. He ran over to Harry.   
  
"What are you, stupid?" Harry asked.   
  
"Quite." James said through gritted teeth. Avery knocked James to the side and grabbed Harry and slung him over one broad shoulder.  
  
"CAN'T WE NEGOTIATE THIS?" Harry yelled. "WHY CANT WE ALL JUST BE FRIENDS?"  
  
James had gotten up again and rammed himself into Avery's stomach. Avery barely moved to this blow. But he hadnt enjoyed it either. He lifted up his arm and with a sickening crack James had been thrown to the floor. He didn't get up.  
  
"Dad!" Harry cried. Avery laughed wickedly and walked out of the cell, shutting it with an echoing boom.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: This chapter goes out to Seeker 2000 who helped me out big time with a scene back there. She pulled me out of my writers' block. Three cheers for her!   



	16. Chapter 16

A/N: I'm warning you. This isn't a happy chapter. If you want a happy chapter, please go visit some other story, because you will not be finding one here. I'm not saying this is a tear- jerker, but like the third task- an innocent person will- well…you know. Read on and review it please. But no flames. Thanks!  
  
With affection,  
Tad   
  
  
  
  
  
  
James yawned. He rolled over in his bed and pulled covers up around his body. He didn't want to be awake. He wanted to fall asleep again…he was so warm.  
  
His eyes snapped open. Warm? That was something he hadnt been in over a month. He drank in the scene around him. He was lying in a large four poster bed that had a silky down cover on it. His pillows were overstuffed with feathers. A fire was burning in the corner of the room and there was a small table in the center that had fruit and tea and crumpets laid out on it.   
  
James cautiously stepped out of the bed. His feet landed on a red Persian rug.  
  
*I must be dreaming. * He concluded. He walked to the table and grabbed a few grapes. He popped one into his mouth. * But what a good dream it is. *  
  
He was just about to go explore the rest of this dream when he heard voices.  
  
"You brought the boy, Avery?"  
  
"Yes." Came the guard's voice. "It was hard. His old man gave a little trouble. So did the boy."  
  
"Is he knocked out?" Voldemort inquired.   
  
"The boy or the father, sir?"  
  
"Either."  
  
"The boy, he's at the end of the hallway. Nagini is watching over him at the moment. I had to gag the little bastard. He was making such a racket. And his dad- he's in this room here, knocked out. Gave him a bash to the head, I did."  
  
"I want to see him."  
  
"Why, sir?"  
  
"Don't ask questions, Avery. Now, lead the way."  
  
James froze for three whole seconds before bolting to the bed and quickly pretending to be asleep.  
  
He heard the two enter the room. He shut his eyes tighter. They made their way over to the bed and stopped over it. James could swear that they would hear his heart beating. He tried to even out his breathing.  
  
"Pity he's still out." Voldemort said. "I had so dearly wanted him to see this."  
  
"I could wake him my lord-"  
  
"No!" Voldemort cut him off. "It's his loss really. Bring in the boy."  
  
Footsteps trailed off in the opposite direction. Voldemort grabbed the curtains around the bed and tugged them shut.   
  
The footsteps were back again, only now it sounded like something was being dragged.  
  
"Untie his hands and his feet." Voldemort said.  
  
"Yes, M'lord."  
  
"Un-gag him."  
  
"Yes, M'-"  
  
"You know? I think I finally see why even the dirty rats cringe when they hear your name." Harry hissed as soon as the gag was gone, cutting off Avery. "You are a filthy little coward to lowly to even be worthy of love. No wonder your father bolted. He probably saw how ugly you were and ran away. Your mother probably had a heart attack when you were put in her arms."  
  
"I think that is the first time somebody has ever- dared - to insult me." Voldemort said slowly.  
  
"It won't be the last, pig." Harry said briskly.   
  
"Enough of your stupid speeches!" Voldemort said. "Crucio!"   
  
James scrunched up his face at the sound of Harry's yells. When they stopped he let out a long careful breath. He slowly sat up in his bed and moved toward the curtains. Slowly, ever so slowly he opened them enough so that he could see the scene in front of him.   
  
Harry, his son, his only child Harry was squirming under Voldemort's wand. James held his breath as Voldemort got ready to say a deadly curse.  
  
But Harry regained his balance and jumped up. He shouted a curse that James didn't know at the man. Voldemort recoiled and glared at Harry once he had shaken it off.   
  
"That dump of a school has taught you something?" He sneered. "I remember when I first dueled you… Pathetic."   
  
Harry didn't say a word during this. It seemed to be unnerving Voldemort. "And now you are silent except to curse me."  
  
Still silence from Harry. They were slowly circling each other now. Voldemort looked as if he was enjoying this and Harry looked like a cat. Alert and graceful, trying to avoid danger.  
  
"Crucio!" Voldemort said. Harry threw up his hands and an emerald shield of magic sprouted up around him. The curse bounced off it and sped towards Voldemort, who jumped quickly out of the way. "Good tactics. You would almost be useful with me here. What do you say to that?"  
  
Harry barely whispered the word but it could be heard from every corner of the room. "No."  
  
Voldemort made a noise very much like a snarl. "Then you can die."  
  
Harry's face remained blank as he dodged the next curse that Voldemort sent at him. He threw a curse back at Voldemort. Voldemort was hit square in the stomach and he doubled up, wheezing.   
  
Harry's small victory made James smile, even under the circumstances. "A little break, a little pause. That hurt didn't it, Tom? You don't want me to do that again, do you?"  
  
Harry looked smug as he sent the body-bind at the already crippled man.  
  
But Voldemort was not going to back down that quickly. At the last second he straitened up again and used the same blocking tactics Harry had, only Voldemort's wall of power was red.  
  
Harry, thrown off guard, fell to the floor because of the momentum of the curse and could not get himself up again. Voldemort laughed, wicked pleasure sparkling in his eyes.   
  
He circled around Harry, grinning. James's mouth had long since gone dry. He didn't realize it, but he was clenching his fists so tight that his hands were bleeding. He was in a difficult position. If he jumped out of the bed, he would surely be killed and then Harry would die. And if he didn't he would live with the guilt of knowing he let his only child die.   
  
"So. After all these years." Voldemort said, still circling. "You've been defeated by a child's curse. I think that's the most tragic thing I've ever heard. Did you really think that you would win?"  
  
Harry's eyes were cold, not frightened as they followed Voldemort's body around the room.  
  
"But now, who has won?" Voldemort asked, crouching near to Harry's head. "Fool, did you think that by all this you would save your precious father? When you are dead, what is to stop me from killing him- and the rest of your lot? Understand that you have given me the magical world forever, you have lost your own life and you have not saved them." Voldemort had slowly risen to his feet again and was holding his wand pointed at him. "And in that knowledge- Avada Kedavra!"  
  
  
  
Now will the age-old battle stop  
Twixt good and evil for the top  
Oh fate has seen to make it thus  
The scales have tilted here to us  
His loss of life will be our gain  
With evil will this world remain  
For good upon this day be slain.  
  



	17. Spiral

A/N: I told you that last chapter was sad, didn't I? Didn't I! I'm sorry. But you know- I don't write the story…the story writes me. Wait! No! That sounded wrong. I don't really read what I write. I just write it. Please don't murder me!   
  
Always,   
Tad   
  
P.S. This chapter gets really weird really fast, so please be prepared   
P.P. S. Special thanks to Seeker_2000 who "hung on every word". You're the best.   
~* ~* ~* ~*   
  
Prologue to the chapter:   
  
~* ~* ~* ~*   
  
James dashed out of the bed, having finally made his choice 3 seconds too late. He saw Harry's body relax. Voldemort cackled with laughter, not seeing James.   
  
"You- you-" James yelled. "You monster!" He sank down to Harry and grabbed him, shook him, and in seeing that all was lost, began to cry.   
  
Voldemort whipped around. He saw James. "What's this?" He cackled. "Grieving for your son? Its too late man. Get off of him. He's not coming back." He laughed.   
  
"How- how could you?" James stammered. "I ought to-" He got up and began to charge Voldemort. Voldemort laughed and with a wave of his wand, James was thrown (screaming) into a tunnel of darkness.   
  
~* ~* ~* ~*   
  
(A/N: I'll bet you think I killed James too, huh? But I didn't)   
  
~* ~* ~* ~*   
  
And as quickly as it came, it was over. The world got bright again and James was alive and well. But something was very different.   
  
He was not in the room any more. Voldemort was gone. He was standing on a dirt road…in the mountains. James looked up and sure enough- there was Hogwarts on the top of the hill. He apparated to the Forbidden Forest and ran to the castle.   
  
Students who were on the lawn talking stopped suddenly as the man ran at them.   
  
"It's Harry!" Some cried. "Harry's back!"   
  
James didn't stop. He didn't stop until he had reached the statue of the Gargoyle.   
  
"Damn, I'll bet he's changed the password." He hissed. "Open up!"   
  
It stayed solid.   
  
"Come on…think…candy names. Bertie Botts! Licorice Wand!"   
  
Still, it remained solid.   
  
"STUPID THING!" James said. He kicked it and then hopped back, grabbing his foot.   
  
"Harry. That will get you nowhere." A calm voice said. James whipped around to find himself face to face with Professor McGonagall.   
  
"You're not Harry." She said lightly. "You're- you're-"   
  
"James."   
  
She pointed a finger into the air as if she'd know the entire time. "Ah. Of course." And she fell to the ground in a dead faint.   
  
James was just about to start rambling off candy names again when the gargoyle stepped to the side and Dumbledore came strutting out of his office. First he saw McGonagall.   
  
"Oh my." He said, looking at her. "I shall have to send for Madame Pomfrey…" And then he saw the hems of ripped up robes on the floor. He slowly looked up until he was face to face with James.   
  
"Harry!" He said. "You're back."   
  
"I'm not Harry." James said sadly. Dumbledore adjusted his spectacles.   
  
"Ah, of course." He said genially. "So glad to see you back safely. Now I'll interview you and your son about the goings on where you were held as soon as I get Minerva cleared off the ground. Not smart to come here without your disguise James..."   
  
James said nothing. Dumbledore filled in the silence by calling out, "Winky! Bob! Dobby! Please come here!"   
  
Three house elves appeared and picked up Professor McGonagall (she was looking in sad shape) off the floor and went away as silently and as quickly as they could with the overweight teacher balanced on them.   
  
"Step into my office, please James." Dumbledore said. "Wait. Where's Harry? Shall we wait for him?"   
  
James took a deep, calming breath to fight the lump in his throat. "H-Harry- won't be here."   
  
"Whatever do you mean?"   
  
"He was- he was…" James said as his shoulders began to shake violently. "Oh god, he was-" Racking sobs echoed through the corridor.   
  
"No." Dumbledore whispered. "He didn't- he wasn't-"   
  
"Yes." James choked out. "By Voldemort."   
  
"This cannot be." Dumbledore said. "It's a trick! I has to be…Harry can't be-"   
  
"Gone." James finished.   
  
~* ~* ~* ~*   
  
After that there were a lot of major changes at Hogwarts. James taught without his disguise and Ron and Hermione were taken off the curse they were under. But both were still very silent and seemed distant. James was the same way. Something was missing from the castle.   
  
The only people that didn't seem to mind this absence were the Slytherins, excluding Crabbe, Goyle and Malfoy. Nobody cared really, but Draco and his cronies seemed very silent and smug in the months following Harry's death. Something was up, and nobody even caught on. They were all to wrapped up in themselves to see the immediate danger of Draco's actions.   
  
~* ~* ~* ~*   
  
  
I lie in an early bed.   
Thinking late thoughts   
Waiting for the black to replace my blue.   
I do not struggle in your web   
Because if was my aim to be caught   
But daddy long legs I feel   
I am finally growing weary   
If waiting to be consumed by you   
Give me the first taste   
Let it begin   
Heaven cannot wait forever.   
  
(Poem adapted from Fiona Apple)   
~* ~* ~* ~*   
  
Harry lay on his back, staring at the ceiling wishing he wasn't where he was. He was of course, alive, in Voldemort's dungeon of course. A few months ago he had been dragged out of his first cell and then thrown in a new, smaller dirtier one. Avery had informed him that James had been let out and also that James had told the entire world that Harry Potter was dead. So Harry was stuck here, in this cell that smelled of rat droppings and rotting hay.   
  
He didn't know why Voldemort kept him alive, really. Harry thought at first that it was for entertainment but the idea of that was vetoed out of his brain when he had a vision of Voldemort complaining about keeping "that wretched boy" here.   
  
The days were long with nobody there to talk to. And so he would just sit in the cell silently pondering things like "what if the sky were brown and the soil was blue" and "if love is blind, and god is love…is god blind" all day.   
  
But today was different. Something was going to happen and Harry could feel it in the very air around him. He didn't even hope that he was going to be let out for he knew that would never happen. He didn't hope at all, in fact because nothing in this house was something a person could hope for. But something was going to happen and he knew it.   
  
And that was why he was lying on his bed, wishing that what ever was going to happen wasn't and that he was far, far away from here. But wishes rarely come true, and Harry knew that well.   
  
~* ~* ~*   
  
Avery walked down the hall lined with cells with a smug grin on his face. He was twirling his wand around in his hand and humming his favorite song. He stopped by Potter's cell and peeked in. His grin widened as the boy tossed in his sleep.   
  
Avery moved on down the line of cells.   
  
Harry opened his eyes as soon as the guard had passed, thankful that Avery hadnt come in to fetch him. In truth, he wouldn't have minded leaving his cell for a while even if it did mean that he would be beat up or cursed. But something today was telling him that once he left this cell he would not be coming back again and that feeling frightened him.   
  
~* ~* ~* ~*   
  
"Would I would know what was going on here." Harry thought as the day wore on uneventfully. "Or rather, would I would leave this place!"   
  
"Talking to yourself, Potter?" Came a cool voice. Harry nearly jumped out of his skin.   
  
"Who's there?"   
  
"You don't remember your favorite Potions teacher?"   
  
"You!" Harry hissed. "I knew you had something to do with this!"   
  
"Had something to do with what?"   
  
"They're keeping me here for no reason." Harry said. "You have something to do with that don't you? Don't you!"   
  
Silence.   
  
Harry walked to the door of his cell and peered out. "Why can't I see you, Snape? I know I'm not that tall."   
  
"It's because you're not the only one being kept hostage, idiot." Snape said.   
  
"Wait- you're innocent?" Harry said. "You aren't on His side?"   
  
"Yes, I know it's not what you'd expect from me, narrow-minded as you are, but I'm not as evil as the student body thinks."   
  
Harry snorted. "I'll believe it when I see it."   
  
"You know, scar face, I wouldn't say such things if I were you." Snape said with a little laugh.   
  
"Why do they have you in a cell." Harry wondered suddenly. "I thought you were a double agent."   
  
"I'm no actor." Snape said. "They've found me out. I don't know why they haven't killed me really. I think it's your fault."   
  
"What do you-" Harry started but the rest of the sentence was cut off because the doors at the end of the hall had opened again.   
  
Avery was walking down the row of cells again. "Severus." Avery said. "You're time is coming shortly." He moved on to Harry's cell. "You- boy. You're coming with me."   
  
Avery unlocked the cell and prepared himself for a fight with the boy. But it wasn't needed for Harry walked out of the room willingly. It had to be a trick.   
  
"No funny stuff." Avery muttered and put a strong hand on Harry's shoulder as he led him out of the dungeons.   
  
~* ~* ~* ~*   
  
Harry was led into one of the nicer rooms in the run down house. It had a fireplace and a big comfy looking chair sitting right in front of the fireplace. Nagini was curled up on the rug by the chair. Harry had a vague feeling he had been here before.   
  
"Avery turn 'round my chair." Came Voldemort's voice. Avery gave Harry a stern look before bidding his master's orders. Voldemort sat his spidery hands in his lap, looking at Harry for what seemed like forever.   
  
"Why have you kept me here." Harry said at last.   
  
"Wormtail wished me to do it actually." Voldemort said. "He said that he owed you something, so I have kept you alive."   
  
"And what are your plans for me."   
  
"That is what I wish to discuss." Voldemort said. Harry was fingering his wand. "You see, I can't kill you because I've promised Wormtail- but I can't keep you in a cell much longer. I'm a restless man."   
  
"Why can't you just lock me up until I die?"   
  
"First and foremost, Potter, I've worked long and hard to get you here and I'm not going to just let all my ambitions go to rot. And second, your father has spread word through the world that you are dead. Your funeral was 2 months ago, actually."   
  
"How does he think I died?" Harry wondered. He had taken his hand off his wand at this point. He knew he wouldn't need it and he also knew that if he so much as took it out of his pocket, Avery would tackle him.   
  
"I placed him under a spell while he was knocked out." Voldemort said lazily. "He thought the dream I sent him was reality. He was a fool."   
  
"Of course." Harry whispered.   
  
"Come closer Harry, I wish to tell you something."   
  
Avery pushed him forward. Voldemort grabbed Harry's wrist and looked at him in the eyes. Harry cringed and bit back his yell of pain and all his impulses to just strangle Voldemort.   
  
"You aren't very happy, are you, Harry?" Voldemort asked silkily.   
  
"What?" Harry said. He tried to look away, but found he could not break eye contact with him.   
  
"You heard me! You aren't happy."   
  
Harry could feel himself spinning into those eyes- losing all control. His head was getting very light. He tried to blink the feeling away, but found he could not blink.   
  
"No." He heard himself answer. 'No!' He raged inwardly. 'Don't let him do this to you! Think about- think about something else. Quidditch!' "I mean- yes! I am happy."   
  
Voldemort stared at him more intensely. "You hate your father and you don't trust your friends."   
  
"I hate my father…" Harry said like a machine, but inside he was screaming like a banshee. Suddenly he blinked, able to move again. "What are you doing to me?" He nearly yelled. "I trust my friends."   
  
Voldemort grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him, never breaking that eye contact.   
  
"You hate life! You don't enjoy anything anymore. You're at the end of your line! You're spent! You hate Hogwarts!"   
  
"I…I-"   
  
Voldemort's stare intensified. "Say it." He hissed. "Say it and believe it!"   
  
"I hate life." Harry said. 'NO! Don't let him win, damn you!' "I don't enjoy anything anymore."   
  
"Keep going." Voldemort whispered. "You're almost there."   
  
"I -I… I can't keep going!" Harry burst out. "You can't win!"   
  
Voldemort made a noise in his throat. Harry still couldn't break eye contact or move. His mind began to close off. His eyes were losing their sparkle the more he stared into Voldemort's. Harry was falling under Voldemort's spell.   
  
"But I have won." Voldemort whispered. "And you are mine. Say you agree."   
  
Harry's control over himself snapped like a dry twig. He was spiraling into Voldemort's red eyes, falling under his control and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Absolutely nothing.   
  
Harry fell to his knees. "I am yours, Master."   
  
~* ~* ~* ~*   
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: Challenge to the readers! I have a poem here, and it's a very good poem too. It's by Fiona Apple. But it can be related to this story. So I want you to read the poem and then tell me whose point of view it's from for each stanza. It shouldn't be too hard and I'll give you one hint: it's not all from Harry's point of view, neither is it all James. If you take me up on the offer and you get it right, I'll e-mail you with a free spoiler- or if you don't want a spoiler I'll let you read the first chapter of my new series IN ADVANCE.   
  
Let the games begin!   
  
  
You'll never see the courage I know   
It's colors richness won't appear within your view   
I'll new glow the way that you glow   
Your presence dominates the judgements made on you   
But as the scene re-grows I see in different lights   
The shades and shadows undulate in my perception   
My feelings swell and stretch   
I see from greater heights   
I understand, but I am still too proud to mention to you   
  
You say you understand   
When you don't understand   
You'll say you'll never give up   
Seeing eye to eye   
But never is a promise and you cant afford to lie.   
  
You'll never touch   
These things that I hold   
The skin of my emotions lie beneath my own   
You'll never feel the heat of this soul   
My fever burns me deeper than I've ever shown   
To you   
  
You say don't feel your dreams   
It's easier than it seems   
You'll say you'll never let me fall from hopes so high   
But never is a promise and you cant afford to lie   
  
You'll never live this life that I live   
I'll never live the life that wakes me in the night   
You'll never hear the message I give   
You'll say it looks as though I might give up this fight   
But as the scene re- grows I see in different lights   
The shades and shadows undulate in my perceptions   
My feelings swell and stretch   
I see from greater heights   
I realize but I'm now to smart to mention   
To you   
  
You say you understand   
You'll never understand   
I'll say you'll never wake up knowing how or why   
I don't know what to believe in   
You don't know who I am   
You'll say I need appeasing when I start to cry   
But never is promise   
And I'll never need a lie.   
  
~* ~* ~* ~*   
  
(P.S. Answers will be posted at the beginning of the next chapter)


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: You all are great reviewers! Thank you to the people who read that poem, which totally awesome of you. The answers are as follows: James, both, Harry, Harry, both. And now to apologize for the "cliffhanger". I don't think that it was that bad, but SEEKER_2000 called it a 'sick joke' so I may be mistaken…I hope you enjoy this chapter.  
  
  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
  
Minerva McGonagall straitened her hat. She was waiting for the boom on the doors in front of her to signal that the 1st years had arrived safely. They were already 10 minutes late. She wasn't all too worried or anything, for they were always a little dilatory.   
  
BOOM! BOOM BOOM BOOM!  
  
She smiled and messed with her hat one more time before grabbing the metal handles of the double doors and tugging them gracefully open.  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
Hagrid was standing there, a shocked look on his face. There were no children behind him, but panicked yells were coming from the bottom of the long stairwell.   
  
"Hagrid, what's going on?" She said sternly. "What have you put the children up too this time?"  
  
Hagrid said nothing, he didn't even blink.  
  
"Now-" Minerva said; a little terrible flutter in her heart "Now this isn't funny Rubeus!"  
  
Still nothing escaped his lips.  
  
"Hagrid?" She nearly shouted. "Hagrid!"  
  
And then he began to sway in the most mechanic and unnatural way. Minerva took a few paces back. It was a good thing too, because the moment she had he fell strait to the floor, dead as a doornail.   
  
Minerva's hand flew to her mouth. She swallowed hard and looked at Hagrid, and then, remembering the children, flew down stairs.  
  
And that was the beginning of the war.  
~* ~* ~*  
  
A lot had happened in the year that passed. Voldemort had freed all of the Azkaban consorts and the Dementors were roaming the country as they pleased.   
  
Harry was living well, too. (As well one could live in the custody in Voldemort) At the moment he was talking to Voldemort. Harry was at one end of a long table and Voldemort was at the opposite.  
  
"Hogwarts will soon be overthrown." Voldemort said.  
  
"It will?" Harry said. "How can you be so sure?"  
  
"Well, thanks to you and Avery, that great oaf, Hagrid is dead. Our next victim should be Dumbledore- or possibly McGonagall. And we already got rid of Severus. You remember him, don't you Harry?"  
  
Of course Harry remembered. He remembered Snape being brought into a room and tied up, spread eagle on a wall. 'Kill him, Harry.' Voldemort said. He was, of course testing him, for it had been nary 5 five minutes since Harry had been- modified.   
  
But Harry's old state of mind was long gone. He began to jeer at his former teacher. 'Potter, what's wrong with you?' Snape had asked frantically. Harry laughed wryly.   
  
'Nothing.' Harry had said. 'I'm just finally paying you back.' And he shot the curse at him. Voldemort began to laugh and Harry had joined him.  
  
  
  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
Hermione and Ron were walking down the hallway, arm in arm. Security Trolls were at the beginning, middle and end of every corridor. It was quite a change but ever since Hagrid's death, everything had been very tight around the school.   
  
And matters didn't get any better when Severus Snape's body was found half eaten by wolves in the forest. (A/N: please forgive me for that sentence. Imagination has run away with me) Sirius had found him one night a few weeks ago while on a restless search for Hagrid's successor.   
  
Hermione shuddered just thinking about it and moved closer to Ron. Dumbledore was walking towards them from the opposite side of the hall.  
  
"Good afternoon, Sir." Hermione said.   
  
Dumbledore nodded and smiled in their direction and kept walking. Something was wrong with his eyes. They had gone very hard recently.  
  
"I wish I knew what was going on around here sometimes!" Ron had said earlier that week. Everybody had noticed the obvious, physical changes in the school, but few had noticed the changes in Dumbledore. He never smiled anymore and his witty comments were few and far between.   
  
Hermione was not happy to admit school had really lost its edge now. She didn't feel safe anymore and neither did her teachers. Hogsmeade trips had been abolished and nobody was allowed out of the common rooms after dark and everybody had to be in bed by 9:30. Hogwarts was taking precautions, sure, but not enough of them to make much of a difference. Many parents had withdrawn their children from the school and the students remaining were looked after like priceless diamonds.  
  
Hermione swallowed and tried to think of something happier than this sad reality.   
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
Dumbledore wandered the halls, trying to avoid what he knew was bound to happen. He passed Weasley and Granger, hoping his face didn't reveal his feelings about life right now.  
  
But he wasn't afraid about what was going to happen. He had lived his life and he had known for some time that this was how he was going to leave this world. 'Why fight fate?' He thought as he gave the password to the Gargoyle.   
  
He was not surprised to see a Death Eater in his office, but his heart gave a little flutter anyways. This Death Eater held himself differently.   
  
"What are you waiting for?" Dumbledore said quietly. "I know you are here to kill me, and I will not fight you."  
  
The masked Death Eater rose his wand. Dumbledore closed his eyes, ready for the blast. But it didn't come.  
  
He looked up at the Death Eater in the eyes. The death eater looked away.  
  
"Do I know you." Dumbledore said.  
  
"No." Came the gruff reply.   
  
"You have no relation to me whatsoever?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then why do you hesitate?"  
  
The Death Eater swallowed so hard that Dumbledore could hear it.   
  
"Something is telling me not too." The gruff voice suddenly broke, like a 15-year-old boy's does.   
  
Dumbledore let out a breath. So he wasn't to die like this after all? He barely dared to think it.  
  
"Damn these masks!" The Death Eater said suddenly and sneezed. He removed his hood and then took off a mask.  
  
Dumbledore choked. "H-Harry!"  
  
Harry Potter looked at the wrinkled old man with fright. "No! No, no, no! You can't recognize me! Oh, he'll be mad." He pointed his wand at Dumbledore and shouted the memory charm and disappeared under an invisibility cloak.  
  
But it was Dumbledore's good luck that the boy had terrible aim under pressure. The curse had not hit him, he was alive and he remembered it all.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
Dumbledore had put the memory into his pensive as soon as he was able to collect his thoughts again. And then, he kneeled by the pensive to re-live the moment again and again.   
  
Harry had said, "He'll be mad." Dumbledore guessed this 'he' was Voldemort. If only he could be sure! He sat down heavily in his chair and rested his tired head in his hands.   
  
Looking down on the desk, he noticed something. Something black was sliding off the edge of the desk. Dumbledore shot out a bony arm and grabbed it. It was fabric of some kind. It was extremely soft to the touch, but seemed to weigh more than he had expected.   
  
He turned it around in his hand to find it was not just a piece of cloth- it was a mask. Harry had left his mask behind.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
  
  
A/N: Thank you for reading this chapter! Please review!   
  
P. S. The end of Spiral is drawing near. There will be no sequel. Buwahahahaha! 


	19. Chapter Nineteen

A/N: We're almost to the end of the story!!! Ahhhh! Are you all excited? I know I am… N-E WAYS… I've already started my next story and I have a little bit of it posted on the Internet already. If you are interested please go to: Yesterday's Hero . I think you will like it. Please read it! Now, on with the story! ~ * ~ Dumbledore was a very smart man. A/N: no really?) And being that smart man he was, he kept his lips shut about the encounter with Harry. He figured it was for the better. The press couldn't go haywire if they didn't know about it, could they? Could the students? No. Dumbledore knew he was right. So the mask lay on his desk for weeks. Anybody who did happen to see it, thought nothing of it. All it looked like was black spandex. But Dumbledore looked at it and thought of it a lot. Well, he wasn't thinking of the mask nearly as much as he was thinking of the boy who had occupied it. ~* ~ Harry kneeled by Voldemort. The man scoffed. "Get up." He said. Harry rose, and didn't look him in the eyes. "You didn't do it, did you." "Didn't- didn't dowhat my lord?" "Kill him! You didn't kill him!" "No, my lord." Harry hung his head. "You stupid, insolent boy!" Voldemort rose Harry's chin with two fingers and smacked him. "Why in bloody blazes did you not kill him?" Harry groped for an answer in the dark corners of his mind. He couldn't think of anything that would sound right. So he told the truth. "I couldn't my lord." He said slowly. "I looked in his eyes, and they just- ughhh! I don't know… they just sort of stopped me in my tracks. I couldn't do it." "Keep going." Voldemort said. "I'm interested." "And it was like- his eyes…they just started overtaking me with- with good. " Voldemort leaned back in his chair, playing with his long fingers. "So it is. I figured as much. They used to say the same thing about you." "Say what my lord?" Harry asked, sitting down in front of Voldemort. "My assassins would say that if they looked into your eyes something would start to change in them." "That doesn't make any sense." Harry said. "Why would my eyes do that to them? And why did you want me killed?" "Ah, Harry there are so many things you don't know yet." Voldemort said. "Come here Harry. Look in my eyes." Harry did as he was told. He moved closer to Voldemort and stared into his eyes, unflinching. "Harry, my son I think you may be slipping away from me." "I would never slip from you." "I know, I know." Voldemort said. "But I must be sure. There is no such thing as good or evil, there is only power." Harry knew what was happening. Voldemort did it to him every once in a while. Truth be told, he didn't really mind, and it seemed to make Voldemort happy when he said the right things. So he said without a second thought, "There is no such thing as good or evil, there is only power." "You want that power, don't you Harry?" "I want that power, my lord." Voldemort laughed. "You are faithful to me." "I am faithful to you." "You would die for me." "I would die for you." Harry's eyes, which had become a little warmer in light of seeing Dumbledore, went cold again. Harry smiled, feeling safe with the vulnerability of caring for something gone. He closed his eyes as Voldemort said his last piece. "You will never leave my service and you love me." "I will never leave your service and I love you." Harry said. Voldemort laughed again. "Open your eyes, my boy." Harry did as he was told. Voldemort smiled wickedly. Voldemort knew that Harry was being truthful about everything he had said, now that he could see Harry's eyes. For Harry's eyes were red. ~* ~* ~* ~* "Now, I want you all to surround the castle. Wait for the signal, from Harry. Do you all remember the signal?" The whole group nodded. "The Dark Mark. The second you see it, break windows, burst down doors- kill you have too- just get into the castle. After that, do as you like. Wreck whatever- kill as many as you can get your hands on. But do not kill Dumbledore. If you find the old coot, get him and bring him to me. I shall be here waiting for your return. And remember- Do not surrender. Fight till the death. " ~* ~* ~* ~* It was dusk when an army of creatures and men crept out of the Forbidden Forest. A few giants were easy to spot, along with some Dementors. But the Incubus's, snakes, Hags, banshees and the Death Eaters could not be spotted. They surrounded the castle in hushed silence. Harry rose his wand, ready to yell out the incantation for the dark mark- when the front door to the castle opened. Harry took a sharp breath, and the wand he was holding moved down to point at the heart of the person who had opened the door. "Don't! Don't shoot it!" A panicked voice said. "Oh, god! Don't shoot! I'm on your side! It's me…Draco." Harry let out his baited breath and said calmly- or coldly, "You aren't supposed to be here Malfoy. Go back inside." "Change in the plans! I want to fight ." Draco hissed. "And if you know who I am, why aren't you treating me with respect? Who are you?" "Nobody to trifle with. Now- since you refuse to leave me alone, I'm asking you to get the hell out of my way so I can start the battle." Draco moved, and with this accomplished, Harry threw his hands up heavenwards and shouted the curse. Like a firecracker, the Dark Mark exploded in the sky. Hundreds of cries rang out around the perimeter. Harry grinned and he and Draco rammed in the front doors. It was pandemonium in the castle. Children were running in every direction, trying to get to their common rooms. Everybody was screaming except Dumbledore, who was standing on a podium at the front of the room, shouting out commands. "Run! Go to your common rooms! Everything will be all right! Prefects, make sure you have all the 1st years! Go! Hurry!" "Well? What are you waiting for?" Draco said. "Lets pop out a can of whoop-ass and flatten this place!" "Righto." Harry said calmly. He walked into the Great Hall and grabbed a small boy by the lapels. The boy whimpered. Harry grinned. "Avada-" Suddenly there was a growl and the next thing Harry knew, the little boy was scampering away. He found himself instead looking at a massive black dog. Harry glared at it and kicked it with all his might. "Stupid mutt." He mumbled. He looked around the hall. The giants had crushed a few people and the Incubus to the right of Harry was busy sucking the souls out of students who had fainted in the confusion. He smiled. Everything was going to plan. McGonagall, Spinistra, Dumbledore and James were making their way through the crowd. James was killing the creatures. The other teachers were helping too. They were stunning everything in sight. Harry knew his turn would be soon. He ran out of the room and up the stairs, taking an all to familiar path to the Gryffindor hall. The fat lady in the portrait screamed when she saw Harry and fainted. Harry pointed his wand at the portrait and it blew into shreds, He climbed through the hole. A wave of screams and terror swept through the hall. "It's a death eater!" the first years were screaming. A group of 7th years were rounding on Harry, ready to take him out. He threw his arm out to them in a sweeping motion and they bowled to the floor. A very tall redheaded boy advanced on Harry. Something about this boy made Harry grin. The boy shot a curse at him- the dissarming curse. Harry dodged easily and shot one back. The redhead blocked it tactfully. But Harry was better than he was. He raised his hand and the curse speeding at him vanished- just like that. The redhead gaped at him. Suddenly a new girl came into view. She was rather short with bushy hair. Hermione Granger. Harry knew her. He didn't like her. She was stuck up. It didn't take long to get her out of his way, she was so very scared of the situation she fought poorly. "Go back to where you came from, Mudblood." Harry said lazily as she walked off. And then Harry realized he was dawdling. He was supposed to be killing . Harry pointed at a girl and beckoned her forward with his wand. She screamed as he body unwillingly hovered over to Harry. "No, Lavender!" The bushy haired girl cried out suddenly. Harry froze momentarily. Lavender. Lavender Brown. But he discarded the emotions. He pointed his wand at her head. "Avada Kedavr-" "STUPEFY!" About 17 voices screamed. Both Harry and Lavender toppled to the floor in dead faints. ~* ~* ~* ~* Outside the common room, down the stairs, the Death Eaters were slowly starting to loose. They just weren't ready for all the house elves to show up and start blasting at them. For as soon as the students were cleared, an army of little slaves popped up. Death Eaters and Dementors were lying everywhere. The other creatures forgot that they had promised Voldemort anything. They ran out of the castle, smashing everything in their panicked way out. The stunned Death Eaters got up and left as inconspicuously as they could. Now all that was left were some wiped out house elves, a few tired teachers and the dead. The battle was over, but the war had just begun. ~* ~* ~* ~* Sirius transformed after he thought all was safe. He stepped over the many bodies on the floor, looking for survivors. He saw a grounded house elf move and Sirius rushed over to it, tripping over something on the way. The thing he tripped over groaned. Sirius spun around and saw a boy lying on his side, clutching a bloody shoulder. "Malfoy, is that you?" Sirius said, crouching down. "Where did he go?" Malfoy said, clearly not seeing Sirius. "Where did who go?" Sirius asked as soothingly as he could. "He just disappeared up the stairs…he hasn't come down yet." Draco said, his voice fading slightly. "Who are you talking about, Draco?" Sirius said, wanting to shake the living crap out of the boy, but refraining. "The man who gave the signal for the battle to begin." Malfoy said. " 'Get out of the way!' He told me. 'I'm trying to start a battle here!' He had red eyes…." He fainted dead away. Sirius thanked the sages that he had tripped over him as he ran out of the hall to go tell Dumbledore. 


	20. If You Ever Did Believe

Sirius burst into Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore- who had been talking to James in a serious manner looked up suddenly at the arrival.  
  
"There's still a death eater in the building!" He panted. "And it's the one who led them here, Draco Malfoy told me."  
  
"Are you sure you can trust Malfoy?" James said.   
  
"Yes, on this I do." Sirius said. "There is a Death Eater- a man- in the building. Draco said he disappeared upstairs and didn't come back down."  
  
"The students!" James and Dumbledore nearly cried out. Just then the door opened on it's own. A little rush of wind signaled that somebody was in the room.  
  
"Show yourself. " Sirius growled. "Come on, we know you're there!"  
  
"Oh don't take that arch tone with me." Hermione said, pulling off Harry's old invisibility cloak. "I'm not here to murder you."  
  
"Hermione what are you doing here?" James asked sternly. "The castle isn't safe yet! There is still a death eater!"  
  
"I know." Hermione said. "That's why I'm here! We caught a death eater- well knocked him out actually. I think he was the ring leader of the attackers…just by the way he held himself."  
  
Dumbledore stood up. "That was very brave. Now, lead me to your common room and we will put an end to him."  
  
"All right." Hermione said. They left the office.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
"He nearly killed Ron and me and Lavender." Hermione said as they reached the Fat Lady. "I mean it's lucky that we're alive." She looked daunted as they stepped through the debris of the painting into the common room.   
  
The room was deadly silent, even before they were fully in. Dumbledore saw the body of the death eater lying in the middle of the floor, right next to Lavender Brown.  
  
Dumbledore stepped through the crowd and crouched by the death eater. "Good work Gryffindors. But now, I want you all to go to bed. Try to get some sleep. We will rid your tower of this- person as soon as you are all safely away in your beds."  
  
Slowly, the students trickled up the stairs to their dormitories. The three men circled around the Death Eater, wands aimed.   
  
"What do you suppose? On three?" Sirius said.  
  
"Works for me." James said with a shrug and lifted his wand.  
  
"Wait. Take off his mask." Dumbledore said.  
  
"Why?" Sirius and James chimed.  
  
"To see who it is of course." Dumbledore said. "It could be some poor brainwashed soul."  
  
"Pah." Sirius said. "You actually think that actually happens? Codswallop, I tell you."  
  
"I agree completely, except not with the words 'pah' or 'codswallop'." James said. Sirius punched him lightly in the stomach.  
  
"Honestly, you two are as bad as the first years." Dumbledore said. "Now James, will you take off his mask."  
  
"All right, but it's pointless." James said, looking at the Headmaster as he yanked off the mask.  
  
Dumbledore choked on his spit. Sirius froze. James cocked his head to the side. "What?"  
  
"It's it's -" Dumbledore said. James pulled a face and looked down at the death eater.  
  
"Oh." James said lightly and toppled over onto the floor.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
You've left me now and it's seasoned my soul  
And with every step you take I watch another part of you go  
I continue to build the wall  
You were so strong; I fell to my knees  
And I don't think I can handle this at all  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
Harry was moved immediately to the hospital wing. The three men didn't sleep that night, they paced and paced, trying to figure out what to do.  
  
"We should wake him." James said absentmindedly looking at his son.   
  
"Certainly not. If we wake him, he might go strait to Voldemort." Dumbledore said. "Or worse- he could harm one of us."  
  
"But if we don't wake him up- and he stays in this weird comma for a month…it'll take us that much longer to figure out what's happening." Sirius pointed out.  
  
There was a very pregnant pause.   
  
"Are we sure that Harry didn't become a death eater on his own free will?" Sirius ventured.   
  
"Well that's a little out of character." James said gruffly.  
  
"No, I don't believe it was his free will." Dumbledore said. "I'm awfully sure it was brainwashing."  
  
Sirius shrugged this aside and James shut up.   
  
"I think this because he couldn't look me in the eye when he tried to kill me." Dumbledore said.  
  
"He tried to kill you?" James said, looking very alarmed.   
  
"Well, yes, didn't I say that just now? But it's a direct effect of Brainwashing- you know- that he couldn't look at me in the eyes." Dumbledore said. "He told me 'something' was telling him not too."  
  
"But- Urgh!" James said. "I don't know, Albus. I think brainwashing is very possible. But I've always questioned Harry's morals…. And he was always awfully mad at me. Revenge on me?"  
  
"I don't think his hatred towards you would drive him to join Voldemort." Dumbledore said, grinning slightly.   
  
"Well should we wake him up?" Sirius said.   
  
"No."  
  
"Yes."  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
Well one more night I'd like to lie and hold you  
To make you smile; I'd like to be there for you  
Have you forgotten me?  
And the days go by, doing nothing about this  
How much time will I have to spend?  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
They decided to wake him up later that night. James and Sirius got ready to fire up a wall of protection as Dumbledore said "Eneverate."   
  
Harry's eyes snapped open, proving them bright red. He looked around madly.  
  
"I'll rip you all apart! I'll tear you limb from limb!" He said. Dumbledore took a quick step back.  
  
The only thing on Harry's body moving was his head. It took the three men a few moments to realize Harry was anything but dangerous. Harry seemed to have realized this as well.   
  
"What have you done to me?" He said loudly. "Why can't I move?"  
  
"Well," Dumbledore said, "your former classmates knocked you out. About 20 stupefy charms.… Not to good for health of humans."   
  
"If I could move, I'd kill you." Harry said.  
  
"Of course." Dumbledore said. "Harry, do you have any idea who I am?"   
  
"Yes." Harry said. "I remember you well enough. You're that batty old man that never shuts up. You think you're better than every other person in this wizarding world because my Lord didn't want to kill you- because he felt bad killing old geezers."  
  
"Pah!" Dumbledore said. "You're Lord is nothing but lies!"   
  
"Lies." Harry scoffed. "Hardly. My Lord is the most powerful wizard on earth."  
  
"You change the subject."  
  
"The subject needed changing." Harry began blinking furiously.   
  
"Are you okay?" James asked.  
  
"Shut up you." Harry said and stopped blinking. His eyes were a pink color now.   
  
"Don't talk to you father like that." Sirius snapped.  
  
"He's not my father."   
  
"You don't pick your family." James said.   
  
"I didn't pick you." Harry laughed. "You're damn strait. But My Lord Voldemort was more a father to me than you would ever hope to be- *Potter *."   
  
"What?" James said and rushed towards Harry and grabbed him by the shoulders. Suddenly Harry's eyes were quite red again. "50 percent of your DNA makeup is mine- boy. That monster killed your mother!"  
  
"He warned her." Harry said lazily. "She didn't move."  
  
James struggled his instincts to strangle Harry into his stomach and said weakly, "He tried to kill you too!"  
  
"Only because he knew of my power." Harry snapped. "He didn't want the competition. But he knows me now. Oh, we get along fine now. In fact I've scheduled tea and crumpets and a lovely game of croquet in his graveyard tomorrow."   
  
James slapped Harry before Dumbledore could stop him. "I don't expect you'll be leaving for a while." He hissed. Harry's eyes glinted in the moonlight, still a piercing red.   
  
"You hit like my grandmother." Harry snickered.   
  
"You don't have a grandmother." James said.  
  
"Well, if I had one, she would hit like you." Harry said.  
  
"James, shut up." Dumbledore said. "You're only making him angry."  
  
"So he does have some sense!" Harry exclaimed. "Amazing."   
  
"You've got that annoying thing down to an art, you know that?" James said from the background.   
  
"Thank you, thank you." Harry said. "I'm here till Thursday."   
  
"OR LONGER!" James yelled running into view again, trying to get a shot at Harry's neck.   
  
"You wanna take this outside *deer boy *?"Harry said mockingly.   
  
"How did you know that?" James hissed. "Who told you that?"  
  
"I have my ways." Harry said mysteriously.   
  
"ENOUGH!" Dumbledore finally yelled. "I've had enough of you two. James do I need to send you to the corner for time out? *Honestly. *"   
  
"Professor I-" James started but he held up a hand. James went to go sit by Sirius.   
  
"Harry, look into my eyes."  
  
"No, I'd rather not. Never liked blue…reminded me that my former father had blue eyes…"   
  
"Former?" James snorted and stood up.   
  
Sirius grabbed his robes and pulled him down. "Sit." He growled.   
  
"Harry, that doesn't matter." Dumbledore said. "Now look into my eyes."  
  
"Why."  
  
"I'm going to turn you back into what you used to be."   
  
"I think not!" Harry said and turned his face away. Dumbledore grabbed his chin and forced it back to looking at him.   
  
"And this is why." Dumbledore grumbled.   
  
Harry shut his eyes suddenly.  
  
"What is he doing?" Sirius said.  
  
Harry let out a huge, fake snore.   
  
"Not funny, Harry." Dumbledore said calmly. "Open your eyes at one!"   
  
Harry let out another fake snore. "Sooo sleepy." He murmured.   
  
James started to get out of his seat again. Sirius stomped on his foot without taking his eyes away from Dumbledore or Harry.  
  
"Oh- look a giant green snake is heading for the castle." Dumbledore said very fakely. "It looks like that awful creature Voldemort keeps…Nagini."   
  
"WHERE?" Harry said, very much awake now.  
  
"I'm glad your genes made him gullible, James." Dumbledore said with a grin. Harry didn't hear and was looking around madly for Nagini. Dumbledore grabbed his chin again and forced Harry to stare into his eyes. "Harry, what is the most important lesson?"  
  
"There is no such thing as good or evil- there is only power."   
  
"Wrong. As many preachers have preached and as many teachers have taught, the greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love- and be loved in return. Now, who is your father."  
  
"I. Have. No. Father." Harry said.   
  
"Well, at least he doesn't think Voldemort is his father anymore." James muttered.  
  
"On the contrary." Harry said. "I have no father- but I have a chosen model to look up too."  
  
"Don't focus on him." Dumbledore said. "Only look into my eyes. James- shut the hell up. Only listen to my voice."   
  
"I will only listen to your voice." Harry said in a hollow way.  
  
"You're brainwashing him." Sirius said suddenly.   
  
"It's only temporary." Dumbledore said. "It'll wear off soon and he'll think for himself. Harry- Voldemort is evil."  
  
"Voldemort is evil." Harry said.  
  
"You hate him, he killed your mother. He tried to kill you. He almost killed your father."   
  
"I hate him, he killed my mother. He tried to kill me. He should have killed my father."  
  
"No." Dumbledore said patiently. "He tried to kill your father."  
  
"He tried to kill my father."  
  
"You don't want to be a death eater. You hate all evil things, but you wont chase after them."  
  
"I don't want to be a death eater. I hate all evil things, but I'll chase after them."   
  
"Good enough." Dumbledore waved the error away. "You wont be stupid when you chase off evil."  
  
"I won't guarantee that."   
  
Dumbledore laughed despite himself. Harry mimicked the laugh.  
  
"You will lead a law abiding life."  
  
"I will lead a partially law abiding life."   
  
Dumbledore smiled. Harry's eyes were green again. "Thank you, Harry. Now get some sleep."  
  
"Yes sir." Harry said. His eyes shut and his head hit the pillow.  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
My mind won't rest and I can't sleep, not even in my dreams.  
If you ever did believe for my sake, if you ever did believe  
And the days go by doing nothing about them  
How much time will I have to spend?  
Well one more night I'd like to like and hold you  
To make you smile; I'd like to be there for you  
Have you forgotten me?  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
James, Dumbledore and Sirius all left the room. For how much stress had been relieved that night, it was amazing how nervous each man was now.  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: Is this the end? No, it's not, but I the writer am at a loss. I have no idea what is going to happen. Please, please, please, please, please! Tell me what you think should happen. PLEASE! Thank you all for sticking with this story! I love you all! 


	21. Chapter 21- The Finale`

~* ~* ~* ~*   
Harry woke up in the hospital wing again. But this time, he was relieved. He got up and walked to the mirror and stared at his reflection. He was startled by the reflection. In a year he hadnt realized how much he had changed. He wasn't one really for sentimental things- but he admitted he felt pretty good for a change.  
  
Walking over to the bed he noticed a pile of clean black robes for him, a note on the top. He put the note on his bed for later and threw on the robes. Once properly dressed he picked up the note.  
  
'Harry-  
I realize you've had a rough time for the last couple of nights, but I would appreciate if you came into public again. Please come conference with me in my office. The password to get in is "Bertie Botts".   
  
~ Albus Dumbledore ~'  
  
Harry stared at the note. He supposed he had no choice other than to go.   
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
He was nervous. He had no idea why he was nervous- but he certainly was. Before he knocked on Dumbledore's door he wiped his sweaty palms on the nice new robes.   
  
Tap. Tap. Tap.  
  
"Come in." Came the Headmaster's voice. Harry swallowed hard and entered. "Ah Harry. Nice to see you."  
  
"Y- Yeah." Harry said.   
  
"Sit down, dear boy."  
  
Harry sat.  
  
"How are you feeling?"  
  
"Good." Harry said  
  
"Good enough to answer some questions?"  
  
"What kind of questions?"  
  
"Serious questions."  
  
"Like- questions that could throw me in Azkaban for life?"  
  
"You won't be put in Azkaban anytime soon."  
  
"Are you sure?" Harry said. "Because I would deserve it."  
  
"Really?" Dumbledore said. "Tell me."  
  
"I really don't want too." Harry said and wiped his palms oh his robes again.  
  
"I hate to be blunt- but Harry you're either going to tell me on your own free will or I will force it out." Dumbledore said gravely.   
  
"W-what do you mean?"  
  
"We have an excellent potions teacher. She could whip up some Veritaserum in a blink."  
  
"Excuse me? She?" Harry said.  
  
"Yes. Snape was murdered." Dumbledore said. "Didn't you know?"   
  
Harry sank down in his chair. "Oh I knew." He said meekly. " Must have…slipped my mind."  
  
"Then you know who murdered him!" Dumbledore said. "Please tell me, Harry."  
  
"I- I-" He choked.   
  
"You what?"  
  
"I- I- it- it was me." He forced out.  
  
"WHAT?" Dumbledore roared. Harry had never seen that before.   
  
"I didn't mean too professor! He had hold of me! I was his servant! His- assassin if you will…"  
  
"Who else?" Dumbledore said quietly. "Who else did you kill?"  
  
"I don't know all their names. I didn't have to kill very much I suppose. Only eleven or twelve."  
  
"Only eleven or twelve people!" Dumbledore said lightly. "Tell me everything you remember about the people you killed."  
  
"Well- there was a few people from the ministry."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"The minister's wife." Harry said. "And his secretary."  
  
"Who else?"  
  
"Some un-loyal death eaters. Ludo Bagman."  
  
Dumbledore was beyond speechless.   
  
"Then some Muggles. I don't know why he wanted them to die, but I killed them anyways. And…"  
  
"There are more?" Dumbledore said.   
  
"My last one was- earlier this year."  
  
"Who?"  
  
Harry suddenly went very pale- and then very green. "I- oh god."  
  
"What is it? Are you okay?"  
  
Harry shook his head. His throat got tight. "It just hit me. I- I killed Hagrid."  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
"Harry did you kill any students last night?"  
  
"I didn't." Harry said. "I- I almost killed Ron though."  
  
"I heard."  
  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'll tell you later Harry." Dumbledore said. "Tell me about the battle."  
  
"You know what happened in the battle."  
  
"I want to hear it from your point of view." Dumbledore said. "Every thing. Start from the beginning."  
  
Harry thought for a moment.  
  
"Well…" He said. "Voldemort gave us the orders and we surrounded the castle. There were Dementors, giants, hags, banshees, snakes and of course- us death eaters. I was in charge. I'm Voldemort's heir. I reckon he thinks I'm dead now. But I was waiting for everybody to get into position. The signal to start the attack was the dark mark going into the air."  
  
"I thought so!" Dumbledore said. "Keep going."   
  
"I was just about to give the incantation when the door opened."  
  
"The door opened?"  
  
"Yes." Harry said. "And Draco Malfoy was standing there. It all gets really hazy after that. He wanted to help. I told him to go away but he wouldn't leave. So I shot the curse in the air and we started attacking."  
  
"Is that all you remember?"  
  
"The Gryffindor's knocked me way out." Harry said. "I'm pretty lucky I don't have Amnesia."   
  
"That you are." Dumbledore said with a smile. "Harry- I want you to know- that they cant put you away for what you've done. There are witnesses in your case. We all know what happened."  
  
"Wait- are you planning on telling somebody what I've done?"  
  
"Well- for some time now, James has been trying to clear Sirius's name." Dumbledore said. "And since you are back now- I thought you might be able to help. But you can't just show up in a courtroom after you've been dead for a year. It wouldn't go over well."  
  
"I see." Harry said.   
  
There was a knock at the door.  
  
"Who is it?" Dumbledore asked.   
  
"The Gryffindor Prefects, Sir. We wanted to talk to you about something."  
  
"Can it wait?"  
  
"Well, we'd rather if it didn't." Came a slightly wavering voice.  
  
"I see." Dumbledore said. He looked at Harry and said very quietly, "Harry go over to that window and look out it. I don't want anybody to see you yet."  
  
"Yes, sir." Harry did as he was told almost mechanically. The door opened and Harry heard people shuffle inside.  
  
"Well what would you like to ask me?" Dumbledore said.  
  
"We were wondering what happened to the Death Eater." Came Hermione's voice. "Did you kill him?"  
  
"You certainly get to the point, don't you?" Dumbledore said. "No, I didn't kill him."  
  
"Well- he's gone at least- isn't he?" Came a boy's voice. It was Ron.  
  
"No he's still here."  
  
"Knocked out of course?" Came Lavender's voice. "He almost killed me! I don't feel safe anymore!"  
  
"He's been revived." Dumbledore said.  
  
"ARE YOU MAD? THAT'S A KILLING MACHENE!"   
  
"Oh hardly." Harry muttered.  
  
"Oh hello Professor Potter." One said, seeing him.   
  
"Now Gryffindors, as much as I'd like to keep talking- I'm afraid you'll have to wait with the rest of the school for news."  
  
"Okay." Harry heard Ginny sigh. "It was worth a shot at least."  
  
"Good day to you all." The door shut. Harry turned around.   
  
"Hermione brought us to you last night." Dumbledore said.   
  
"When will I see them again?"  
  
"Soon, Harry. Soon."  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
The first person Harry went to see after that was Sirius. It was just his luck that James was with him as well. They were all sitting in James's office, reclining in his chairs.  
  
"So let me get this strait." Sirius said after Harry had explained everything. "You're more of a dangerous criminal than I am- and I get life in prison?"  
  
"Hey. Shut up." Harry said. "I didn't really have a choice but to kill them. I wasn't exactly willing."  
  
"I know." Sirius said. "I just find it funny."  
  
"I don't think it's funny at all." James and Harry said in perfect unison.   
  
"Well, well, well!" Sirius said. "Don't get all uppity with me!"   
  
"I am not uppity with you." Harry said. "I just don't find it funny that I killed two Hogwarts teachers."  
  
"You didn't mention that!" Sirius said. "You did?"  
  
"You just heard me." Harry said. "Now, I don't want to talk about this anymore. Tell me what I've missed around here. I want all the local gossip."  
  
"Not much is happening that you haven't been a part of." James said. "Unless you want to know the little things like Ron and Hermione are dating."  
  
"Go figure." Harry said. "Anything else?"  
  
"Not anything you would care about." James said and leaned back in his chair.  
  
"Oh." Harry said. "Try me. I'm pretty bored. I would care about anything just about-"  
  
The door swung open. "Professor Potter!"  
  
James jumped. "Christ Hermione! Haven't you heard of knocking?"  
  
"Yes professor- but I needed to talk to you now!" She said, and then noticed the other two bodies in the room. "Unless you're busy?"  
  
"IS your problem urgent?" James said. He looked around him. Harry had quickly turned around to face the wall and Sirius looked like a living statue.  
  
"Sorry to have frightened you all." Hermione said before continuing. "But about your test today. I was thinking about it- and I think I got 14 b wrong."  
  
"How typical." Harry said a little louder than planned.   
  
"What was that?" Hermione said.   
  
"Nice one, Einstein." Sirius muttered and kicked Harry lightly.   
  
"Hermione, I assure you that you got an 106 on your exam." James said. "Now I really am in the middle of something-"  
  
Harry coughed.  
  
"Bless you." Hermione said.   
  
"Thank you." Harry said.   
  
"Professor, I didn't know you had a brother." Hermione said.  
  
Harry coughed again.  
  
"I don't have a brother."  
  
"Well your friend sounds exactly like you then." Hermione said. "Really, you do."  
  
"He's not my friend really."  
  
"Hey!" Harry said. "I can accept you get mad at me, but that burns Krikor."  
  
"Call me by my real name!"  
  
"Rather not, makes me want to throttle you."   
  
"This from the person who got mad at me for not calling him my friend."  
  
"Am I missing something here?" Hermione said.  
  
"No." Harry snapped.  
  
"Harry here is just being stupid."  
  
"I am not stupid, you - you-"  
  
"Go ahead. Call me a name."  
  
"I would, but I don't want you to cry while there is a girl in the room…Sirius I'm afraid you're going to have to leave."  
  
Hermione blinked. Had she heard the word Harry, or was she just going crazy? "Why wont he face us?" She asked slowly.  
  
"He- um isn't supposed to be here." Sirius said.  
  
"Terrible acid burns. He doesn't like to be seen in public." James said at the same time.  
  
"We should work on that." Sirius said, biting his lip.  
  
"Yeah you should." Harry said. "James, you really know how to botch something."  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"No, no." Harry said. "I don't think I will."  
  
"You should though."  
  
"The more you say that, the more I'm going to talk. You realize that, right?"   
  
James made a noise in his throat.  
  
"Are you two related?" Hermione said. "In the least?"  
  
"Ha! I wish we weren't." Harry said.  
  
"We are."  
  
"Shut up!" Harry said.   
  
"Only if you do." James said.   
  
"You are becoming very redundant, both of you." Sirius said.   
  
"Professor- I'll just get back to you later." Hermione said. "You seem to be- busy."  
  
"HE STARTED IT!" James and Harry cried in unison.   
  
And then there was silence. Dead, utter and complete silence. Hermione had left. Harry quickly turned around.   
  
"What were you thinking, you idiot? Just give away my identity to her?" Harry nearly yelled. "You are such an idiot. Really, do you have a brain in there at all?"  
  
James took a deep breath and pointed past Harry's shoulder. Harry looked over. Hermione was standing there still- her mouth moving up and down like a very old woman, pointing.  
  
"Aw shit."   
  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*   
  
  
Hermione stared for a few seconds before turning around slowly on her heels and then ran down the hall as fast as she could. She reached the fat lady and began screaming, "RON! RON, RON! COME HERE QUICK!"  
  
Ron, who was playing chess with Seamus, looked up. "Did you hear that?"  
  
"Yeah." Seamus said. "Sounds like there's a Rhino on the lose."   
  
"Shaddup." Ron said and got up to go find her. HE left the common room and jumped out of the portrait hole. "Who died Hermione? You scared the crap out of me."  
  
"No!" Hermione panted. "Not dead! Who LIVED!"   
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
When Hermione had returned with Ron the two men had left and Harry was sitting on the desk waiting for them. He didn't tell them all off what he did, but he did tell them what had happened to him. At first there was complete silence in which everybody just stared at each other. And then Hermione gave him a very bracing, long hug.  
  
"Don't ever leave us again." She whispered.   
  
~* ~* ~* ~*   
  
The days danced by and it seemed like no time when the last week of school dawned on them. Everybody was ready to leave school this year- for good reasons. It had been quite an experience. Teachers had died; students had died- and come back from the grave.  
  
Exams were handed back and students spent their days on the Hogwart's lawn, lying about, talking and playing games.   
  
Harry, Ron, Hermione (and sometimes Lavender) were often to be found by Hagrid's old hut. Fang was now being taken care of by Dumbledore, but on days like this the Headmaster would let him out and he would romp around the grounds, startling resting students and scaring the birds away.   
  
Today, Harry was stretched out on the lawn alone, basking in the sunlight. He was thinking, and he was happy to be doing so. The last few months had been so busy, he barely remembered them at all. So now, as he lay, he began to work out the little problems in his life, that so needed to be worked out.  
  
There was the question of Lavender. He liked her. But did she like him?  
  
There was the question of Ron and Hermione. They were dating. Was he a third wheel now?  
  
There was so much to ponder for Harry, for his head hadnt been clear for quite some time now. He gazed down the sloping lawn to see the squid basking in the sun, like him. He smiled thinking how everything was alike in some way.   
  
His peaceful silence was interrupted when Hermione appeared out of nowhere. "Harry." She said, leaning over him from the side. "Your dad is looking for you."  
  
"So?"  
  
"You should go talk to him."  
  
"Oh, Hermione, let me be." Harry said. "I don't want to talk to him."  
  
"It could be important." Hermione said.  
  
"Are you hinting at something." Harry said.  
  
"No, I'm just saying." She said. "It could be important."   
  
"But it probably isn't, knowing him." Harry said.   
  
"Fine." She said. "I'll leave you then. But if I run into him, I'm telling him where you are."  
  
"You do that!" Harry called after her retreating back. "What a person does for privacy these days!" He closed his eyes and began to think again. He knew what James wanted to talk about. He wanted to talk about Harry's living arrangements for the summer. And Harry wasn't ready to make that decision.   
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
School had been out for twenty whole minutes. Ron and Hermione were waiting for the train in Hogsmeade. Harry was waiting for somebody else however. He looked a little nervous, Hermione thought, looking him over.  
  
James arrived on the scene. "Ready for summer?" He asked. Ron and Hermione nodded. James spotted Harry, cowering behind them. "There you are." He said.  
  
"Here I am." Harry repeated.  
  
"I've been wanting to talk with you." He said. "About where you're going this summer. I guess I've just assumed that you would come home with me- I have a home in Greece, you know?"  
  
Harry stared at him.  
  
"Well, what do you say? I swear I don't bite."  
  
Harry kept staring.   
  
"Please answer me Harry." James said. " You're making me unnerved."  
  
"No." Harry said quietly.  
  
"Well then, we should be- what do you mean no?" James said, realizing that Harry hadnt said the expected answer.   
  
"I mean, I've gone through a lot with you this year." Harry said. "But I don't think I could live with you. Not now. I'll be spending the summer with Ron this year."   
  
The train had pulled into the station. Ron and Hermione were hesitating by the door.   
  
"Goodbye then." Harry said going into the train, pulling his things behind him. They took their seats on the train, Harry by the window. He was looking at James, who was standing there still, stunned.   
  
The train pulled away from the station. Harry kept his eyes out the window, staring at his father until he was just a black dot on the horizon.  
  
"Harry, don't you think that was a bit harsh?" Hermione said finally, breaking the awkward silence.  
  
"No." Harry said. "I do not."  
  
"But you just left him there."  
  
"He's left me alone before." Harry said. "He had this coming."  
  
"But don't you feel bad?" Ron said. "I feel awful. He probably hates me now."   
  
Harry looked out the window, saying nothing  
  
Harry wasn't good at Divination. Everybody knew it. He didn't know what would happen between him and his father. He didn't know what his future held, or what tomorrow would bring. Heck, he didn't even know if he would live to see tomorrow. But he was sure of one thing; tomorrow would come, with or without him.   
  
  
~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: The end folks. Draw your own conclusions; however strange, sappy, or frightening they may be. Please don't ask for a sequel, for I have no intention of writing one. Thank you for sticking through the story with me. I really love you all.   
  
Now- I have one more thing to say. This chapter took 5 hours to write- at least. Please take 40 seconds to review it?  
  
Thanks again,  
Tadariada  
  
(Have anything else you want to tell me? E-mail me at Tadariada@aol.com) 


End file.
